PM Modi inaugurated Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh on October 20, 2021. The event will be attended by a 125-member delegation and Buddhist Monks from Sri Lanka.
According to the official release, Prime Minister will also participate in an event marking Abhidhamma Day at Mahaparinirvana Temple. He will attend a public function to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various developmental projects in UP.
As per the statement by PMO, “The International Airport at Kushinagar, the Mahaparinirvana site of Tathagata Gautam Buddha, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on October 20. Ambassadors of various countries are to participate in this ceremony of international importance. A special delegation is also arriving from Sri Lanka. Keeping in line with ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, necessary preparations should be made for the grand welcome of foreign guests.’'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Kushinagar International Airport. pic.twitter.com/jpwujBQNNK
— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2021
Launch of Kushinagar International Airport
• The inauguration of the Kushinagar International Airport will be marked by the landing of an inaugural international flight from Colombo, Sri Lanka, carrying a Sri Lankan delegation of over a hundred Buddhist monks and dignitaries including the 12-member Holy relic entourage bringing the Holy Buddhist Relics for exposition.
• The delegation from Sri Lanka comprises of Anunayakas (deputy's heads), of all the four Nikatas (orders) of Buddhism in Sri Lanka i.e. Asgiriya, Amarapura, Ramana, Malwatta as well as the five ministers of the Government of Sri Lanka led by the Cabinet Minister Namal Rajapakshe.
Kushinagar International Airport: Key details
• Kushinagar airport will be the third international airport in Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow and Varanasi. It has been built at an estimated cost of Rs. 260 crores.
• The international airport at Kushinagar is spread over an area of 590 acres and boasts world-class facilities. The eight-storied state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower which has been built at the cost of Rs. 17.5 crores, has become fully operational at the airport.
• The navigation system for safe landing and take-off flights at the airport has also passed the trial successfully.
• Because of the better connectivity, six Buddhist sites in UP- Sarnath, Kushinagar, and Shravasti- as well as the Buddhist sites in North Bihar will see a free and easy movement of tourists from countries with large Buddhist populations in East Asia and South-East Asia.
PM Modi to visit Mahaparinirvana temple in UP
• Prime Minister Modi will visit the Mahaparinirvana Temple, offer Archana and Chivar to the reclining statue of Lord Buddha, and will also plant a Bodhi tree sapling.
• He will participate in an event organized to mark Abhidhamma Day. The day symbolises the end of a three-month rainy retreat- Varshavaas or Vassa- for the Buddhist Monks, during which they stay at one place in Vihara and monastery and pray.
• The event will be attended by eminent monks from Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, and Cambodia, as well as the Ambassadors of various countries.
• He will also walk through the exhibition of Paintings of Ajanta frescos, Buddhist Sutra Calligraphy, and the Buddhist artefacts excavated from Vadnagar and other sites in Gujarat.
Why Kushinagar International Airport is significant?
Kushinagar International Airport will facilitate the inflow of international tourists as well as outbound tourism in the coming years due to its strategic location near Buddhists sites in both north Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
It will facilitate the international and domestic pilgrims to visit the Mahaparinirvana sthal of Lord Buddha and will also be an endeavor in connecting the Buddhist pilgrimage holy sites around the world.
Earlier, the entry point of the Buddhist tourists was Delhi, Kolkata, Gaya, and Varanasi, which are situated far away from one another. Because of lack of connectivity, it was time taking and most of the tourists were not able to complete the circuit in one go.
However, with the opening of the International Airport at Kushinagar, foreign tourists will be able to complete their pilgrimage in considerably less time.
The airport is also expected to boost tourism in the region and is expected to generate direct and indirect employment for thousands of people.
| Historical significance of Kushinagar Kushinagar is a place where Gautam Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana. It is a town in the Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Kushinagar is a significant Buddhist pilgrimage site, where the Buddhists believe that Gautam Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana after his death. As per the Buddhist text, Buddha made his journey to Kushinagar, died there, and this is where he was cremated. It is believed that during his last day, he walked into the groves of trees near the city and rejoiced at the blossoms of sala trees before laying himself to rest. |
PM Modi to lay foundation stone of Rajkiya Medical College
Prime Minister Modi will participate in a public function in Kushinagar. In the event, he will lay the foundation stone of Rajkiya Medical College, Kushinagar which will be built at the cost of over Rs. 280 crores.
Rajkiya Medical College in Kushinagar will have a 500-bed hospital and will also provide admission to 100 students in the MBBS course.
Prime Minister will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 12 development projects worth over Rs. 180 crores.
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