'Bodh Gaya to be developed as spiritual capital'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced the holy town of Bodh Gaya would be developed as the spiritual capital serving as a bond between India and other Buddhist nations.

Modi made the declaration at the Mahabodhi Temple, a Unesco World Heritage Site, which he visited only as the third prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is here Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment some 2,550 years ago.

The prime minister, who paid obeisance to Lord Buddha and prayed at the temple, said it was a coincidence that he visited the Land of Lord Buddha on a day that also marked the birth of Lord Krishna (Janmastami) and former president and educationist Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (Teachers’ Day).

Modi also used the occasion to make an oblique reference to the Maoists, who called a 24-hour bandh in the Magadh region, making the authorities tighten the security measures for the PM’s visit.

 “The teachings of Lord Buddha, Lord Krishna and our second President Dr Radhakrishanan are more practical and relevant today than ever before,” the PM said while assuring the Buddhists about his government’s intention to develop Bodh Gaya as the spiritual capital.
The PM also attended the concluding ceremony of a  three-day international Buddhist conclave that began in New Delhi on Wednesday.