Bhubaneswar: Traditionally, Buddha purnima is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Goutam Buddha, founder of Buddhism. The auspicious event was celebrated in the city with fervor, Monday.
A large number of people visited Kalinga Buddha Vihar at Unit-9 here Monday to pay obeisance to Lord Buddha on his 2562nd birth anniversary. A mass diya (lamp) was lighted by devotees and senior monk Thero recited Buddha’s Panchashil on the occasion.
A seminar was also organised on the premises where Sri Jagannath Sanskrit University’s wherein dean Radhamadhav Das, Bimelendhu Mohanty and other dignitaries participated. In his speech Das said, “Buddha is one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Lord Buddha is the epitome of truth, ahimsa and kindness. His preaching on peace and tolerance has taught us the essence of divinity.” Bimelendhu Mohanty also stressed on the teachings of Gautama Buddha and emphasised that everyone needs to follow and practice them to attain mental bliss’.
Surama Khadenga of the Mahabodhi School was feted on the occasion. Earlier, in the morning, a religious procession was led by Karunakar Pradhan along with Namrata Chaddha, Jagabandhu Jena, Siddhartha Panda and Narendra Kumar Mishra. Another programme was organised at Buddha Park in Chandrasekharpur where Shobhaniya Sikhyashram held a prayer meet. A seminar followed and the programme ended with a dance performance by school children. The seminar was graced by Pravin Kumar, head of Buddhist Studies.
The Department of Posts and Telegraph also released a special cover to commemorate this occasion.
