Soon, Sarnath to host cultural fests of Buddhist countries round the year
VARANASI: Soon, citizens will be able to explore the culture and cuisine of several countries with Buddhist populations by just visiting Sarnath , the place where Buddha preached his first sermon. Sarnath will soon begin to host weekly cultural festivals of such countries round the year.
Read More : Buddhist Temple tour
Apart from the series of cultural fests which is going to become its permanent feature, Sarnath is also going to get a four-lane connectivity with Ring Road for seamless access from any highway and from LBS International Airport. These two plans are the main components of the proposal prepared for the Rs 130-crore pro-poor tourism development project finalised as per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The project will be funded by World Bank.
Talking to TOI, Varanasi DM Kaushal Raj Sharma disclosed that during the virtual meeting on June 20 this year, the PM had asked to look for a site in Sarnath where holistic cultural fests of Buddhist countries can be organized throughout the year. As per PM Modi’s vision, all Buddhist countries as well as Buddhist regions in India, like Ladakh, will get an opportunity to showcase their culture, art and cuisine. This vision is aimed at increasing the inflow of tourists. Sharma said that a plan to establish such a site at Sarnath is a key component of the proposal, which will be submitted to the state tourism department in a week or two.
Read More : Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour Packages
The proposal also contains the plan of widening the existing road which links Sarnath to the Ring Road. DM Sharma said, “Conversion of the existing road into a four-lane road will give the tourists and local residents easier access to Sarnath, as they will not have to pass through crowded city areas to reach the site.”
Regional tourism officer Kirtiman Srivastava said that for the past four-five years, growth of over 4% in the footfall of tourists (including foreigners) had been recorded every year in Varanasi. In 2019, he said, 64.47 lakh domestic and 3.50 lakh foreign tourists had visited the city, out of which, 7.82 lakh tourists including 1.40 lakh foreigners visited Sarnath. Srivastava said that Sarnath attracts foreign tourists mainly from Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Japan, China, South Korea and other south-eastern countries.
It is also a prime attraction for picnickers, said Srivastava, mentioning how the Centre and the UP government took new initiatives like the light and sound show on the life of Buddha in order to enthral a greater number of tourists to Sarnath.
Read More : Buddh Purnima Buddhist Festival India
On June 29 this year, minister of state (independent charge) for tourism and religious affairs, Neelkanth Tiwari, had informed TOI that Sarnath bagged this mega project to ensure world-class facilities for tourists. The project would generate employment for the people living in its vicinity.
The fund of Rs 100 crore saved from already completed or ongoing World Bank-funded projects is going to be utilised for it, said Tiwari.
“The tourism officials have been asked to ensure that the serenity of Sarnath is not disturbed by any of their proposals,” he added.
Buddhist Pilgrimage Destination in India and Abroad 