Construction of India Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage in Nepal begins with ground breaking ceremony

The stage has been set for the construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage (IICBCH) in Lumbini, Nepal, with the Bhumi Pujan (ground breaking) ceremony being held by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) on Sunday (August 6, 2023).

Located in the Lumbini Monastic Zone, the centre will be a world-class venue that will welcome pilgrims and visitors from all over the globe to experience the soul of Buddhist spirituality.

Lumbini (where Lord Buddha was born), along with Bodh Gaya (in Bihar, India, where he attained enlightenment), Sarnath (in Uttar Pradesh, India, where he gave his first sermon), and Kushinagar (also in Uttar Pradesh, his final resting place) are the primary pilgrimage places of the Buddhist Circuit associated with the life and teachings of Lord Buddha.

The foundation stone for this prestigious project was laid by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba during the Indian PM's Lumbini visit on May 16, 2022. It aims to promote Dhamma's core values and provide a serene space for global pilgrims to immerse in Lord Buddha's teachings.

The heritage building is expected to be lotus shaped and may be completed in one-and-a-half years.

Prayer halls, meditation centres, libraries, exhibition halls, cafeterias, offices, and other facilities will be housed in a contemporary structure that will be NetZero compliant in terms of energy, water, and waste disposal.

The centre is coming up on a plot of land allocated by the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) in March 2022, as part of an agreement agreed upon between IBC and LDT.