Minister for Energy G. Jagadish Reddy said there were many resemblances in the Telangana society and Buddhism.
Speaking at the valedictory of Telangana Bouddha Sangiti, an international seminar on Buddhist archaeology organised by Buddhavanam Project and Department of Culture, he recollected his childhood memories of going to Phanigiri hills and his curiosity to know the history behind those Buddhist structures and sculptures. The Minister complimented Special Officer of Buddhavanam Project Mallepalli Laxmaiah for his efforts in shaping the project. He said the government would support in making replicas of the sculptures, which were being excavated from Phanigiri, Vardhamankota and other villages. Expressing happiness over the deliberations that took place in the last two days about the development of Buddhist heritage, he appreciated the support of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in the development of Buddhavanam Project. He requested the government to form a coordination committee including archaeologists to shape up the project well, and also sought suggestions from scholars and experts on constructing the replica of Phanigiri.
Thungaturthi legislator G. Kishor Kumar, and Vice-Chairman of the State Council of Higher Education R. Limbadri complimented all the participants of the seminar. Later, Mr. Jagadish Reddy felicitated Erramaraju Bhanu Murthy, senior caretaker of the Archaeology Department, for his work in Buddhist archaeology. The Minister launched the official website of Buddhavanam Project www.buddhavanam.in and released a book Telangana Buddhist Heritage on the occasion.
