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Buddhist circuit boosts regional tourism in SAARC countries
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'The footsteps of Lord Buddha', a regional Buddhist circuit, which links the Nepalese Buddhist sites with Indian, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese and Sri Lankan locations is expected to boost regional tourism in SASEC countries.
Five SAARC countries will finance the project and Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing the loan and technical aid for handling the project.
The sites include the places of South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) countries where Lord Buddha set his steps during his life.
The Project will include three Buddhist pilgrim sites around Lumbini - Devadaha, Kapilvastu and Ramgram.
Similarly, in India, Bodh Gaya and two other important locations have been selected; in Sri Lanka 'The Sacred Tooth Relic'; in Bangladesh various archaeological sites and in Bhutan various monasteries have been selected as a part of the tour package.
“After the completion of the project, we aim to develop a package and the tourists would visit all the important Buddhist sites," quoted the Rising Nepal as Rabi Jung Pandey saying, a SASEC project member and tourism entrepreneur.
According to Pandey tour would include only the most important Buddhist sites in the region since the project aims to promote joint marketing and sub-regional tourism growth.
All these sites have been visited by Lord Buddha during his life, each of these locations are unique in their own way. Since it is believed that a Buddhist pilgrim has to visit every important Buddhism pilgrimage where Lord Buddha set his feet.
The locations inside Nepal has already formed an internal Buddhist circuit tour, which provides insight into the life of Lord Buddha and the development of Buddhism. There are 62 archaeological sites scattered outside the Lumbini garden and the tour currently goes through Tilaurakot, Kudan, Gothiwa, Nigilhawa, Sagarhawa, Aurorakot, Devdaha and Ramgram which are all associated with the life, enlightenment and death of Buddha.
This is the first time such a gigantic project has been formulated and its still in its initial phase.
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