Pilgrims Rest in Sanchi
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka declared open the Sanchi
Vandana Niketanaya (Sanchi Pilgrims Rest) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh,
India yesterday.
Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Rameshwar Thakur, Chief Minister of
Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivaraj Singh Chauhan and Minister of Culture and
Public Relations of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Laxmikant Sharma were also
present at the opening ceremony.
On the guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister of Urban
Development and Sacred Area Development Dinesh Gunawardena commemorated
the 2550th anniversary of the Buddha Jayanti by laying the foundation
stone for the Sanchi Pilgrims Rest.
The building has been constructed by the National Physical Planning
Department at a cost of Rs. 84 million with the collaboration of the
Mahabodhi Society and Chief Incumbent of the Caityagiri Vihara, Sanchi,
Ven Banagala Upatissa Thera with the cooperation of the Government of
India and the Public Works Department of the Government of Madhya
Pradesh.
The three-storey building has an area of 1,200 m2. It includes an
image chamber, a sermon hall, rooms for pilgrims, sitting room,
bathrooms, a kitchen, sanitary facilities and open halls.
Meanwhile, a PTI report from Bhopal states that Madhya Pradesh Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the state would allot land to Sri
Lankan Government to build a Buddhist university in Sanchi.He said
yesterday he has agreed to the proposal of Sri Lankan Prime Minister
Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka to set up a university at the Buddhist tourist
site.
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