By Bhavdeep Modi
“India is the center of devotion, faith, and inspiration to the Buddhist society around the world. Today, the inauguration of Kushinagar International Airport is in a way tribute to their devotion.” The words of the Indian Prime Minister rang loud and clear on October 20, 2021, in the presence of representatives from 12 countries, including a delegation from Sri Lanka.
The impetus to the Buddhist Circuit in India by the government has a clear approach – showcasing the rich Buddhist history and heritage that it houses, while also building self-reliance through infrastructural development and enhancing connectivity, both at domestic and foreign fronts.
India and Buddhism: A Tryst with Heritage
India and Buddhism share a long history as Buddhism originated around the Magadha Kingdom then (present- day in Bihar) in India through the teachings of ascetic Siddhartha Gautama, more popularly known as Buddha or Lord Buddha. Later in the third century BCE, Buddhism spread throughout the Indian subcontinent due to the adoption of Buddhism by Mauryan King, Ashoka, whose empire extended from the Himalayas in the north to Sri Lanka in the south.
Naturally, such a long tryst with Buddhism has made sure that India hosts a large number of sites that hold importance for the religion and its followers. The then Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma had stated that India hosts 7 out of 8 key pilgrimage sites for Buddhists. This also stems from the fact that Buddha spent a major part of his life in India- Piprahwa is where he spent his first 29 years of life; achieved enlightenment at Bodh Gaya; gave his first sermon at Sarnath; and achieved Mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar.
Hence, Buddhism has always found a very resounding presence in India’s culture and remains an important inspiration in many ways to this date. For example, the teachings of Buddha remain an important inspiration to the Constitution of India, and Buddha’s Dhamma Chakra finds its way to the Indian tricolor. The mantra ‘Dharma Chakra Pravartana’ (Buddha’s first sermon) is still visible in the Indian Parliament.
Concurrently, it also comes as no surprise that it has found consistent focus in New Delhi’s public diplomacy for decades. For instance, India had hosted the International Buddhist Conference in Sanchi in 1952, which was one of the largest Buddhist gatherings of the time and was attended by over 3000 Buddhist nuns and monks. Since then, Buddhism has also found increasing mentions by Indian Prime Ministers as well.
Buddhist Cultural Integration Through Connectivity
But despite this rich history of Buddhism in India, it is curious to note that the country receives only 1% of the total Buddhist tourism in the world. This can be attributed to the lack of infrastructural development and connectivity in and around major Buddhist sites in India, especially Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Thus came the big impetus in 2016- the Indian government announced the setting up of the first transnational Buddhist Tourism Circuit in that year, extending to Sri Lanka and Nepal. According to officials at the tourism ministry, Rs. 343 crores were sanctioned for the project, out of which Rs. 278 crores have already been released.
The opening up of the Kushinagar Airport is a part of the big push to Buddhist Tourism while ensuring better road, railway, and air connectivity around the Buddhist sites in India. It will also lead to the development of hospitality infrastructure and the creation of job opportunities in the entire area, while also boosting revenues. It has been further reported that helicopter services and more airports are in the pipeline.
This also brings to fore the importance of the role of the aviation sector in enhancing air connectivity in India to host Buddhist tourists in the future. There has been a spate of reports that have pointed out that the government is also planning to open defense airspace for civilian purposes to reduce travel time for the tourists. While this may be a contentious issue, it is indeed worthy of appreciation that the government is considering a slew of options to increase access.
In establishing the Buddhist Tourism Circuit that extends beyond the boundaries of India, New Delhi has shown its commitment to the teachings of Gautama Buddha and bringing about Buddhist cultural integration across the world.
The inauguration of the Kushinagar Airport will lead to not just domestic connectivity, but also foreign connectivity. As a transnational tourism circuit, its reach to Sri Lanka and Nepal will play a major role in Buddhist integration in the region. Nepal, a trusted friend of India, will be a key player in this as it hosts Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. Sri Lanka, similarly, will be another key partner for India in this regard. Interestingly, a delegation of monks and important ministers from Colombo were present at the inauguration of the Kushinagar International Airport.
India, being the originator of Buddhism, curiously loses out to Indonesia and Thailand when it comes to Buddhist Tourism, even though they have fewer sites to host Buddhists. This move will go a long way in attracting foreign tourists to India, especially vis-à-vis Buddhism. It is also important to note that India’s massive Covid vaccination drive, both at the domestic and foreign fronts, will also ensure larger tourist inflows- a testimony to India’s continued adherence to Buddha’s ideals of sharing and compassion. And finally, the move will also help New Delhi to find resonance with ASEAN nations and will provide each other room for enhanced cultural exchanges on Buddhism, which remains a major religion in the ASEAN.
As India embarks upon this journey, it is important to remember the words of G. Parthasarathy on India and Buddhism, “But, for people to connect with the country that gave birth to that message, it is imperative that we not only welcome them for worship, but also make them feel that we are inviting them to join us in showcasing their own contributions to spreading the message of Lord Buddha, which emanated from the soil of India.”
(Bhavdeep Modi is a Senior Research Associate at Organization for Research on China and Asia (ORCA), New Delhi, and a Visiting Researcher at Red Lantern Analytica, New Delhi.)