Kushinagar Airport inaugurated by PM Modi; Sri Lankan flight with 100 Buddhist monks first to land

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh. Built at an estimated cost of Rs 260 crore, the Kushinagar International Airport will facilitate pilgrims, both from within India and abroad, to visit the Mahaparinirvana sthal of Lord Buddha. Besides boosting the investment and job opportunities in nearby districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the airport will also be instrumental in connecting the Buddhist pilgrimage holy sites around the world. 

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Modi said that India today was the centre of Buddhist faith around the world. Dedicating the Kushinagar International Airport to the devotion of Buddhist pilgrims, he said that Kushinagar, which witnessed Lord buddha's journey from enlightenment to Mahaparinirvana, had today been directly connected to the world.

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Development of Kushinagar was a priority for the central and Uttar Pradesh governments, Prime Minister Modi said, adding that special focus was being accorded to creating facilities for developing places associated with Lord Buddha. 

The opening of the Kushinagar airport was marked by the landing of the inaugural flight from the Sri Lankan capital Colombo. Onboard the aircraft was a delegation of over a hundred Buddhist monks and dignitaries, including the 12-member Holy Relic entourage. The delegation comprised of Anunayakas (deputy heads) of all four Nikatas (orders) of Buddhism in Sri Lanka -- Ramanya, Malwatta, Asgiriya and Amarapura -- as well as five ministers of the Sri Lankan government.

Among the relics brought down from Colombo for exposition included the only documented authentic relics of the Buddha in Sri Lanka -- the sacred Piprahwa relics -- discovered in the late 19th century in India which are kept at the Waskaduwa Viharaya in Kalutara.

PM Modi visits Mahaparinirvana Temple

Prime Minister then visited the Mahaparinirvana temple to offer prayers before the reclining statue of Lord Buddha and also plant a Bodhi tree sapling. Prime Minister Modi also participated in an event marking Abhidhamma Day, which symbolises the end of a three-month rainy retreat for the Buddhist monks. In this period, the monks stay in one place and pray. The event was attended by eminent monks from Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, South Korea, and Cambodia.

Prime Minister then viewed the exhibition of paintings of Ajanta frescos, Buddhist Sutra calligraphy and Buddhist artefacts excavated from Vadnagar and other sites in Gujarat.