Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Uttar Pradesh to inaugurate the Kushinagar International Airport. At roughly 10 a.m., the Prime Minister and Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will inaugurate the international airport.
Modi will also visit the Mahaparinirvana Temple and pay his respects to the reclining statue of Lord Buddha and also plant a Bodhi tree sapling.
PM Narendra Modi will participate in an event, organized to mark ‘abhidhamma’ day which symbolizes the end of a three-month rainy retreat- ‘varshavaas’ or ‘vassa’- for the Buddhist monks during which they stay at one place in vihara and monastery and pray.
UP to have three international airport
With the inaugural of the Kushinagar International Airport, Uttar Pradesh is going to have three international airports. The Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi and the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow are the two existing international airports in Uttar Pradesh. The Noida International Airport, also known as the Jewar Airport, is still under construction. Kushinagar International Airport is going to be India’s 29th International Airport.
The move is aimed at boosting tourism on the Buddhist circuit on the back of three markers for economic development – trade, tourism, and technology.
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The ancient city of Kushinagar is the final resting place of Gautama Buddha, where he attained Mahaparinirvana after his death.
60 crore estimated cost:
The Kushinagar airport has been built at an estimated cost of ₹260 crores; it will serve the nearby districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and is being looked at as an important step in boosting investment and employment opportunities in the region.
The airport will facilitate domestic and international pilgrims to visit the ‘Mahaparinirvana’ site of Lord Buddha and is an endeavor to connect the Buddhist pilgrimage holy sites around the world, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The inauguration of the Kushinagar International Airport will be marked by the landing of the inaugural flight at the airport from Colombo, Sri Lanka, carrying a Sri Lankan delegation of over 100 Buddhist monks and dignitaries including the 12-member holy relic entourage bringing the holy Buddha relics for exposition.
The delegation also comprises anunayakas (deputy’s heads) of all four nikatas (orders) of Buddhism in Sri Lanka; Asgiriya, Amarapura, Ramanya, Malwatta as well as five ministers of the Lankan government led by cabinet minister Namal Rajapakshe.
(With inputs from ANI)
