Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar met the Dalai Lama at Bodh Gaya on Thursday and invited him to inaugurate the Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum, which will house the relics of Lord Buddha, at Vaishali in Bihar.
The chief minister’s office (CMO) said that the Dalai Lama has “accepted the invitation to inaugurate the museum”, which is nearing its completion and is expected to be opened next year.
The Buddha’s relics kept in the casket are currently housed at the Patna Museum. Dating back to the fifth century BC, it was discovered in the 1960s in the excavation of the Buddha Relic Stupa, built by the Lichhavis of the ancient Vaishali Republic.
Nitish returned from Delhi on Thursday morning, directly flew to Bodh Gaya to meet the Dalai Lama at the Tibetan monastery, and offered him flowers, a memento and angavastram (a cloth given to honour a person). He received his blessings and wished for his good health and long life.
“I come to meet you and take your blessings whenever you visit Bodh Gaya. We respect all religions. We have high regard for Buddhism also,” Nitish told the Dalai Lama during the meeting.
The chief minister also met the delegates of the ongoing three-day International Sangha Forum and welcomed their visit.
Nitish also visited the Mahabodhi Temple. He inaugurated the brass gates on the northern side of the temple campus and laid the foundation stones for the construction of the railings of its outer boundary, as well as, a 180 kWp (Kilowatt peak) solar power plant at the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee office.
