A four-member delegation from Odisha, led by Shri Balwant Singh (IAS), Secretary Tourism, and Shri Vijay Ketan Upadhyay (IAS), Secretary Cultural, Government of Odisha, visited the sacred Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya on the evening of August 3, 2025. The delegation was warmly welcomed with traditional khada by Dr. Mahasweta Maharathi, Secretary of the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), Bhikkhu Dr. Deenanand, and Bhikkhu Dr. Manoj.
Inside the temple’s sanctum, monks chanted sacred mantras, invoking blessings for the delegation. The Secretaries and their team offered prayers at the Holy Bodhi Tree and viewed the life panel of Buddha. The visit included discussions between Shri Balwant Singh, Shri Vijay Ketan Upadhyay, Dr. Mahasweta Maharathi, and Bhikkhu Dr. Deenanand, focusing on developing Odisha’s Buddhist tourism sector in alignment with Bihar’s model. Key proposals included enhancing coordination between Bihar and Odisha, attracting more Buddhist pilgrims to Odisha, inviting Buddhist countries to establish monasteries around the ancient Pushpagiri Buddhist university site, and developing a stupa complex similar to Vaishali’s stone relic stupa to enshrine Buddha’s holy relics excavated from Lalitgiri, currently housed in Bhubaneswar Museum. Improved air connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Bodhgaya was also discussed.
The delegation comprised:
1. Saroj Kumar Swan, Additional Secretary Tourism
2. Manas Pattanaik, Advisor Tourism
3. Sameer Hota, MD, OBCC
4. Satyabrat Behra, OBCC
At the visit’s conclusion, the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee presented mementos to the Secretaries and the delegation, including a Buddha statue, a leaf from the Holy Bodhi Tree, and BTMC publications.
This visit underscores Odisha’s commitment to promoting its Buddhist heritage and fostering collaboration with Bodhgaya to enhance spiritual tourism.