Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa
| Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa | |
|---|---|
  Location Vaishali District  Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa (Bihar) | |
| Type | Stupa |
| Location | Vaishali district, Bihar, India |
| Coordinates | 25°59′N 85°08′E / 25.99°N 85.13°E |
| Area | 72 acre |
| Status | Under construction |
| Budget | ₹315 crore |
The Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa is a proposed museum and stupa to house the sacred relics of the Buddha that were given to the king of Vaishali in the 6th century BCE. The relics were enshrined in the Buddha Vaishali stupa, then uncovered during an archeological excavation in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The museum and stupa are to be built at Vaishali, about 60 km from the Bihar state capital Patna.
The Bihar state cabinet approved its construction on 9 February 2013,[1] and construction was commenced on 20 February 2019, inaugurated by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. The museum will be built on 72 acres of land with a budget of ₹315 crore. The structure will be built of stone, with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi providing technical support for its construction.[2] [3]
History
[edit]The body relics of the Buddha, found in Vaishali, were in one of eight caskets that were given to eight kings who were to build stupas to enshrine his sacred body relics for the benefit of pilgrims and beings. The stupas are collectively are known as the Eight Stupas of the Sacred Relics.[4] This casket containing holy relics of the Buddha would be the relics that were given to the Licchavi king of Vaishali after the Buddha attained mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar. One eighth of the Buddha's mortal remains were given to the Licchavi king. The relics were enshrined in the Relic Stupa of Vaishali, in the fourth century BCE. The relic casket containing the holy ashes of Gautama Buddha mixed with earth, a piece of conch, pieces of beads, a thin golden leaf and a copper punch marked coin, is currently kept at the Patna Museum.[citation needed]
The relic site was mentioned by the 7th century Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang in his book.[citation needed] Later, Anant Sadashiv Altekar uncovered the relic casket in a brick and clay stupa, dated to c.5th century BCE, during an archeological excavation between 1958 and 1960.
Exhibition
[edit]According to the preliminary plan, the Buddha Samyak Darshan Sangrahalya is proposed to be developed on the line of the Global Vipassana Pagoda in Mumbai. It will have two components; a Buddha stupa and a Museum. There will be art and exhibition galleries with original artefacts, 3D models, multimedia presentation and an interpretation centre at the Museum. Animated short film will also be used to acquaint the visitors with the rich heritage of Buddhism. The stupa on the other hand will focus on Bihar and Buddha's Mahaparinirvana and major incidents of his life.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Tripathi, Piyush (23 December 2016). "DPR delay hits Vaishali Buddha Museum project". Times of India.
- ^ Kumar, Madan (20 February 2019). "Nitish Kumar launches work for Buddha museum and stupa in Vaishali". Times of India.
- ^ PTI (19 February 2019). "Nitish lays foundation stone of Buddha Sangrahalaya & Smriti". Business Standard.
- ^ Robert Beer, The Encyclopaedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs. Boston: Shambhala, 1999.
- ^ TRIPATHI, PIYUSH KUMAR (22 May 2014). "Relic with Buddha's remains to return home – Art, culture & youth affairs department starts work on constructing stupa and world-class museum". Telegraph India.