Boudh Mahotsav celebrated with fervour in MP's Sanchi

Bhopal: Amidst chantings of ‘Budham Sharanam Gachaami’ and Sadhu-Sadhu, Buddhists took out Kalash Yatra containing relics (asthi-kalash) of two disciples of the Buddha at the famous Stupas of Sanchi on Sunday.

A priest from Sri Lanka's Mahabodhi Society carried a pot on his head containing the relics of two disciples of the Buddha. He led the procession that included a large number devotees from India as well as other countries like Sri Lanka, Japan, and Thailand.

While circling the periphery, the devotees chanted Budham Sharnam Gachaami and Sadhu-Sadhu. This two-day festival is organised every year at the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site in Sanchi, some 45 km from Bhopal. The tradition was started in 1952 by then-PM Jawaharlal Nehru when he graced the occasion in collaboration with Sri Lanka's Mahabodhi Society.

The two-day festival started on Saturday. Despite enthusiasm among the devotees, a sombre mood gripped the area during the procession. In keeping with the occasion, a traditional puja was also performed at the site.

The relics of two disciples of the Buddha, Sariputta and Mahamogallena, which are stored in the sanctum sanctorum of the third Stupa are taken out for 'darshan' during the festival. Mahabodhi Society  (Sri Lanka) secretary Dilshan Jaisurya gifted a specially designed octo-alloy (ashta- dhatu) pot and relics were placed into it on November 25.

A large number of devotees and followers turn up to grace the occasion every year. On regular days, visitors have to pay an entry fee to enter the stupas, but during the two-day festival, it is free for all. However, vehicle entry was restricted to ground-level parking and not till the rock top of the stupa site.

The Sanchi Stupa, built by Emperor Ashoka in the 3^rd century, were discovered by General Taylor in 1818. The site gained prominence because it was the first amongst 84 thousand Stupas built by emperor Ashoka.

After the Kalinga war, which saw rampant bloodshed and loss of millions of lives, Ashoka had a change of heart and took to non-violence. With an aim of spreading a message of peace and brotherhood, he built more than 84 thousand Stupas, with the ones in Sanchi being the first to be erected.

According to estimates, Ashoka’s wife Devi and daughter Sanghmitra had supervised construction of the Sanchi Stupa. Sanghmitra and her brother Mahendra were sent to Sri Lanka with a branch of Boudhi tree and as emissary of peace by Ashoka.

Principal Secretary Culture Shivshekhar Shukla quoted “Sanchi festival is gaining popularity with increasing international tourists’ footfall. Culture department is trying to improve and make it more diverse by showcasing the richness and depth of cultural tapestry of Madhya Pradesh.”

The festival is organized under the joint aegis of the Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka Sanchi Centre and Government of Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of the anniversary of Chetiyagiri Vihar in Sanchi.