Bhubaneswar: Education Minister Union Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday wrote to his colleagues in the Ministry of Culture, G Kishan Reddy, asked him to include Odisha in the Buddhist circuit proposed under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.
It aims to promote, develop and take advantage of tourism potential in this country.
“It is unfortunate that Odisha, even with traditions and rich Buddhist traditions, not included in the Buddhist circuit also did not have a project under the Swadesh Darshan scheme allocated for Buddhist temples in the state,” Pradhan wrote.
Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, the Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned five projects worth RS 325.53 Crore for the development of Buddhist circuits in MP, up, Gujarat, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
Highlighting the Heritage of the Odisha Buddha, Pradhan wrote that during the government of the Bhumakara dynasty from the 8th to 10th century, Buddhism was considered a religion of the country here.
It is believed that the first disciple of Lord Buddha, Tapasu and Bhallika, came from the modern city of Jajpur.
Even though Buddhism entered Odisha long before the war of Kalinga, it spread under the protection of the Ashoka Emperor, he added.