With the objective to promote Buddhist pilgrimage in India, the 5th International Buddhist Conclave 2016 was organised by the Government of India, Ministry of Tourism.

The State Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar played an active role in the international conclave. Around 300 delegates from 39 countries participated in the event which took place from October 2 to October 6.

Buddhist monks, scholars, journalists, travel writers, government officials, travel agents, tour operators and other delegates from around the world were invited to the prestigious programme.

Fortunately, I received the opportunity to witness this spiritual conclave as a representative from Nepal.

The delegates visited Varanasi, Saranath, Nalanda, Rajgir and Bodh Gaya in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. One of the major arguments in almost all the presentations was to develop and promote Buddhist Circuits in India and in the SAARC region where Buddhist monasteries and heritages are present.

The four major sites of pilgrimage for followers of Buddha are Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Khusinagar. Lumbini where Buddha was born, Bodh Gaya where he attained enlightenment, Sarnath where he gave his first sermon and Kushinagar where he chose for his final exit from the earth.

Additionally, Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali and Sravasti are other scared sites in India where Gautam Buddha had travelled.

The Buddhist Circuit is not complete without Lumbini. Therefore, this international conclave has definitely helped in promoting Lumbini and tourism in Nepal. It also provided a platform for the Nepali delegates to promote Lumbini as the birthplace of Nepal.

Political interference and personal interests must not come in the way of development of such a sacred site. It is high time for the holistic development of Lumbini for economic prosperity of the nation.

The Government of India, Ministry of tourism, has a clear vision of how to promote the right destinations to the right markets. They understand the global market for cultural and religious tourism.

The Government of Nepal and private sector must be serious about promoting Lumbini as the birthplace of Buddha in the national as well as in the global market.

Rather than just creating slogans and speeches stating ‘Buddha was born in Nepal’, we should take immediate actions for the development of Lumbini by learning lessons.