Title - Odisha: Relics of Gautam Buddha to be displayed in State Museum

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) will display the relics of Gautam Buddha in the State Museum, which is expectedly to attract tourists from different parts of the world.

Odisha Tourism Minister Maheswar mohanty recently visited Delhi and met Union Cultre Minister Selija and Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahya over this issue. Both the minsiters assured Mohanty to look after this issue.

Besides, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, has also given its nod to extend the Mahaparinirvan Express, which is especially carrying tourist only to Buddhist circuits, to Odisha.

The state government had earlier requested the IRCTC to extend the Express to tap the tourism potential of the famous Buddhist sites in the state. The proposed extension of the special Buddhist train to the state will be a joint venture of OTDC and IRCTC, sources said. Presently, the Mahaparinirvan Express covers Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, connecting famous Buddhist sites at Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Sarnath, Gorakhpur, Khushinagar, Gonda, Sravasti and Agra. The tourism department has requested IRCTC to run the special train during January and February when the foreign tourist inflow is in peak, particularly from South East Asia.

Meanwhile, a team of experts have been constituted to earmark a suitable place in the museum to display Buddha's bone relics. Display of Lord Buddha will help in promoting tourism in Buddhist circuits in the state. The state government had requested the Union culture minister to hand over the relic to the state, said OTDC General Manager Manoranjan Patnaik.