The state government is not leaving any stone unturned to promote Gujarat as the Buddhist destination. Satyavir Singh deciphers the traces of Buddhism in the state and observes the government’s effort to promote them.
Every aspect of Gujarat has a strong Hindu identity be it history, places, beliefs, politics or people. But, probably, most of the people are clueless about the fact that Gujarat has been a significant place for Buddhism too. The recent excavation in Vadnagar has again thrown light on the strong links of Buddha with the state. Although, archeologists have unearthed many evidences earlier, the recent one could unravel many my stories.
The traces of Buddhist establishments have been discovered across Gujarat in the form of carved-out caves, stupas and monuments. The coastal region of Gujarat, stretching from Kutch to Saurashtra, and up to Bharuch is dotted with several such caves. It is believed that most of the caves were excavated between 2nd century B.C. and 6th century A.D, mostly during the Kshatrapa rule.
However, the most startling evidence found till date is the ashes found in a casket at Devni Mori site near Shamalaji. Many historians and archeologists are claiming it to be the ashes of Lord Buddha himself. The excavation was carried out by a team from MS University in 1963. Since then, this incredible discovery was in the possession of the University’s department of archaeology and ancient history.
In account to this finding, Buddhist scholars suggest that Lord Buddha on his deathbed had asked his disciples to erect stupas over his remains. Later, as per his discretion, his relics were distributed and stupas were constructed over them. Then, the famous Buddhist patron and the great Mauryan emperor Ashoka reopened seven out of the eight original sharirik stupas, in a bid to erect more stupas across the region. A major portion of relics were distributed among 84,000 stupas that were built by him throughout his empire. This was about the previous breakthroughs. Now, fresh excavations carried out in Vadnagar region, has found a monastery dating back to the Buddha era. In fact, two stupas have also been recovered along with many other antiques. Vadnagar has also revealed a Bodhisattva image, which is assumed to be brought by the monks from Mathura in the 2nd or 3rd century A.D.
In account to the new excavations, the Gujarat tourism department has realized the prospect of promoting the state as Buddhist pilgrimage destination. Therefore, to acknowledge the Buddhist community about these findings, a three-day international seminar on Buddhist heritage was held in Vadodara’s MS University campus from January 15-18. Many Tibetan lamas and Buddhist scholars from all across the world gathered here. The seminar was inaugurated by the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and presided by the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. During the seminar, a proposal to set up a center for religious studies in MSU campus was approved by the CM along with His Holiness. Modi also ensured to build a Buddhist temple and an academy for Buddhist education.
Anjlee Pandy a, a prominent NRG and coordinator of the event said, “This great event is the beginning of a new era of Buddhism in Gujarat. Gujarat will soon become a significant Buddhist pilgrimage and a major tourist attraction. The proposed Buddhist Temple and a Center for Buddhist Studies, a new Buddhism Institute will further the study and understanding Buddhism worldwide.”
These plans imply that the Gujarat government is leaving no stone unturned to highlight the recent archeological breakthroughs. Besides, casket of ashes has already become a subject of interest among the patrons worldwide. Hence, considering all these developments together are pointing out that Gujarat is all set to become a new signpost on the Buddhist map of the world.
