A thirty-member Japanese delegation led by Mr. Kensuke Horiuchi, President and comprising members from renowned business houses — Santoku Co. and CGC Company of Japan — visited and paid obeisance at the sacred Mahabodhi Mahavihara Temple this evening.
These distinguished business houses have made significant contributions towards the construction of the Rajgir Peace Pagoda and the old Ropeway, reflecting their enduring commitment to the promotion of peace and Buddhist heritage. The delegation is presently in Bihar to attend the 56th Anniversary celebrations of the Rajgir Vishwa Shanti Stupa to be inaugurated by the Governor of Bihar, Mr. Arif Mohammad Khan and to visit prominent Buddhist pilgrimage sites across the state.
Remarkably, these Japanese devotees have been visiting Bihar for the past sixty years without a break, a testament to their deep devotion and spiritual reverence for the land of the Buddha.
The delegation was warmly received by the Chief Monk of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara Temple, Venerable Chalinda, Bhante Kaundinya, and the Secretary of the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), Ms. Mahashweta Maharathi.
As part of their pilgrimage, the delegates offered prayers for world peace by ringing the Peace Bell at the Meditation Park. Tomorrow, on their way to Rajgir, they will visit the sacred banks of the River Niranjana — where the Buddha sojourned before His Enlightenment — and the Sujata Garh Stupa.