The formal commencement of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage (IICBCH) took place in Lumbini, Nepal, marked by the Bhoomi Pooja rituals on Sunday. Monks from various Buddhist nations participated in this significant event held at the Lumbini Monastic Zone, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, the Light of Asia.
The construction of the Buddhist Centre was initiated a year after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his 2022 visit to Lumbini alongside then Nepali counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba, laid the foundation stone. The inauguration of the construction of the state-of-the-art building, with zero carbon emission, was carried out on Sunday.
Venerable Dhammapiya, Secretary General of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), along with fellow monks, partook in the 'Bhoomi Pooja' ceremony. Mr. Dhammapiya expressed his joy, stating, "We are very happy today that construction of the International Centre of Buddhist Culture and Heritage at Lumbini, Nepal is finally going to start. As we all know, the spiritual and cultural bond between India and Nepal goes back to 2,600 years."
He emphasized the core focus of fostering friendship, harmony, and co-existence between the people of Nepal and India, expressing gratitude to the Government of Nepal and its citizens for facilitating the establishment of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage.
Overseeing the construction is the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi, in collaboration with the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT). An agreement between IBC and LDT, signed in March 2022, allocated the plot for the construction.
Dupten Jigdol, a member of the working committee of IBC, highlighted the significance of the forthcoming center: "The India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage which is being built here in Lumbini. The birthplace of Lord Buddha is soon going to get a centre where all information relating to him will be available. This would further strengthen and deepen relation between nations."
Upon completion, the center, shaped like a bloomed lotus, will be a world-class facility inviting pilgrims and tourists from across the globe to immerse themselves in the spiritual essence of Buddhism. The cutting-edge structure will adhere to NetZero standards, encompassing energy, water, and waste management. It will house prayer halls, meditation centers, a library, an exhibition hall, a cafeteria, offices, and other amenities.
Venerable Metteyya Sakyaputta, the immediate Past-Vice President of the Lumbini Development Trust, reflected on the historic significance of the project's initiation: "Today the actual start of construction of India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage here in the sacred birthplace of Gutam Buddha within the Lumbini Masterplan zone takes us back to those eras."
He recounted the journey to establish Lumbini as an international center for peace, with an early letter from an Indian envoy advocating for Lumbini's recognition as an International Peace Centre. He further remarked, "Almost seven decades later here we are, in this very land a beautiful site-symbolic lotus of the Buddha's teaching is going to be born here."
The project's contract has been awarded to ACC-Gorakha, an Indo-Nepal Joint Venture company under the aegis of the International Buddhist Confederation. The estimated cost for the construction of the center is around one billion Indian Rupees.Nepal initiates construction of India’s Buddhist heritage center