Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 4: The teachings of Buddha were in focus at the Buddha Jayanti celebrations by the Orissa chapter of the Mahabodhi Society of India in the capital Monday.
The celebrations at the Buddha temple here also saw Padmashree Debi Prasanna Pattanayak, a linguist, social scientist and author, talk about the influence of Buddhism on some of the major languages of the country.
Tourism and culture minister Ashok Chandra Panda highlighted the need to adhere to the ideology of Buddha, which teaches us to be compassionate and generous.
“Orissa has a long connection with Buddhism and a lot of evidence regarding the religion is found here from time to time. The promotion of the teachings of Lord Buddha is necessary as it would help make the world a better place. His teachings are the answer to the world’s turmoil,” said Panda.
“The government is taking steps for the maintenance and restoration of some of the leading Buddhist sites. Some initiative has already been taken to promote the area as a tourist hotspot but we need to take more initiatives to popularise these sites,” said Panda.
“Recently some remains of Lord Buddha were discovered during an excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India. All the things that have been discovered are with the ASI, but I think that they should be put up for public view as this will attract the believers of Buddhism in Ratnagiri,” said Panda.
Earlier in the morning, members of the Maha Bodhi Society and students from different school participated in a rally organised from Ram Mandir to Buddha temple.
Buddha Jayanti was also observed at the UTI office near Ashok Nagar, where the teachings of Buddha were highlighted.
