City's Buddha park to be ready next year

City's Buddha park to be ready next year

PATNA: Ongoing work on the Buddha Memorial Park in Patna will be completed by mid-2010. This was announced by chief minister Nitish Kumar while


inaugurating the 40th anniversary of Vishwa Shanti Stupa atop Ratnagiri Hills in Rajgir on Sunday evening.



The park is coming up on a Fraser Road plot where once Bankipore Jail was located. The state government has planned to put the casket containing ashes of Lord Buddha on display at the park.



Speaking on the occasion, the CM stressed the need for world peace and said Lord Buddha's teachings on peace and non-violence are more relevant today. He said differences of opinion between countries and societies could be sorted out through the preachings of Lord Buddha.



Nitish also spoke about ancient Nalanda University, and said the students of proposed Nalanda University will be brand ambassadors of peace. He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former president APJ Abdul Kalam are taking special interest in reconstruction of the university.



A mentor group headed by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has been formed for the purpose. The survey work for the site has been completed, he said and added after Parliament enacts the law, the university will come into existence.



The CM said the steps taken for revival of ancient Nalanda University as a global institution of excellence will be fruitful not only for imparting teaching but also for grooming `shantidoots' (messengers of peace) for world peace.

Others who also addressed the function included Atsuhiro Hariuchi, chairman of board of directors of CGC Group of Companies of Japan; Takao Morita, president of CGC, chief monk of Nipponzan Myohoji G Okonogi and Mahashweta Maharathi, secretary of Rajgir Buddha Vihar Society.