Maharashtra to launch Buddhist circuit tourism soon

Mumbai, June 24 (IANS) After Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra will have its own Buddhist circuit tours with 25 major destinations, in a bid to attract more tourists to the state, a top official said here Tuesday.

The Buddhist circuit has been finalised by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and will start from the Sanchi Stupa replica adorning the port town of Nallasopara in Thane district, said MTDC managing director Jagdish Patil.

"We chose the stupa in Nallasopara because it is from here that Emperor Ashoka's son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra are believed to have left for Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism," Patil said.

The Buddhist Circuit Maharashtra tour - the commencement dates and duration of which are being finalised - will proceed from Thane to Mumbai, which has several major Buddhist religious and tourist attractions.

These include the Kanheri Caves, the world's tallest pagoda in Gorai (both in Borivli suburb), the Chaityabhoomi in Dadar and the Elephanta Island Buddhist caves, 10 km off Mumbai in the Arabian Sea.

The next attractions would be in Raigad, Satara, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, and Nagpur (besides Thane and Mumbai), covering 25 major destinations spread across eight districts.

"The entire Buddhist circuit shall be offered to private tour operators with flexible options of conducting them by road, railways or flights, depending on the rates and choice of the tourists," said an MTDC official, requesting anonymity.

According to Patil, the starting point - Nallasopara - has great historical significance as the ancient port had trade links with Mesopotamia, Arabia, Greece, Rome and Africa, among others in its 5,000-year existence, with a mention also in the Vedas and ancient Greek writngs.

Purna Maitrayaniputra, a rich merchant from the town, had journeyed to Shravasti in Uttar Pradesh, attended a discourse by Gautam Buddha who lived there for 27 years.

Later, Maitrayaniputra renounced his wealth and became a Buddhist monk, returned to his hometown Nallasopara to propound Buddhism and built a Buddh Vihar here which had eight sandalwood gates.

He invited Buddha to inaugurate the Buddh Vihar, which the founder of Buddhism honoured and travelled to Nallasopara with 500 disciples and stayed here for a week.

After his visit, Buddha gifted his begging bowl to Maitrayaniputra, now a monk, which was discovered in April 1882 by Pandit Bhagwanlal Indrajit here.

Much later, after Emperor Ashoka became a Buddhist, he built a stupa here with 14 inscriptions, eight of which were discovered in 1882 by Pandit Indrajit near Lake Bhatela here.

Another inscription - the ninth - was discovered by a historian N.A. Gore in 1956 from Bhuigaon nearby.

After Thane and Mumbai, the Buddhist circuit will cover the world-renowned Ajanta and Ellora Caves in Aurangabad and other prominent sites in surrounding districts before terminating at Dikshabhoomi in Nagpur.

A private tour operator - Kiran Bhoir of KMC Holidays and Offshore Pvt. Ltd. - operates a popular Virar-Vasai tour covering large parts of Thane district.

Citing historical records, Bhoir said the great traveller Marco Polo travelled here in 1295 A.D., St. Francies Xavier came in 1548, India's first Christian saint, St. Gonsalo Garcia was born nearby, and the fifth Adi Shankaracharya and Lord Parashurama are also believed to have visited or lived in the region.