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| Maheswar Mohanty, tourism & cultural minister, Government of Odisha inaugurating the International Conference on Buddhist Heritage of Odisha at Toshali Udayagiri Convention Centre in Jajpur | A K Tripathy, principal secretary (tourism & culture), Government of Odisha felicitating a Buddhist monk |
The department of tourism and culture, Government of Odisha in association with Utkal University of Culture and Odishan Institute of Maritime and South-East Asian Studies organised three-day event called International Conference on Buddhist Heritage of Odisha: Situating Odisha in the Global Perspective at Toshali Udayagiri Convention Centre near the historical Buddhist heritage site of Udayagiri in the Jajpur district of Odisha.
Maheswar Mohanty, tourism and cultural minister, Government of Odisha inaugurated the three-day event and A K Pattanayak, vice chancellor, Utkal University of Culture presided over the function. Tourism director Harishankar Upadhyay, Jajpur MP Mohan Jena, Barachana legislator Amar Prasad Satapathy, Mahanga MLA Pratap Jena, eminent US historian Prof T E Donaldson, Arizona University Professor Chitta Baral, tourism and culture principal secretary A K Tripathy were also present.
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Twenty international delegates from seven countries (i.e. USA, Sri Lanka, Poland, Nepal, Japan, Bhutan and UK) and 65 national delegates participated in the conference. A total of 1,547 domestic and 66 foreign tourists attended the meet as well.
Mohanty also inaugurated a photo-exhibition showcasing the Buddhist heritage of Odisha. A book titled ‘Buddhist Heritage of Odisha’ penned by Prof Sadasiba Pradhan of Utkal University was also unveiled on the first day of the conference.
On the second day, technical sessions witnessed scholars from India and abroad presenting their papers on four different subjects of discussion i.e. Buddhist philosophy and school of thought, Buddhist remains of Odisha, Buddhism for international peace and relevance in 21st century and Buddhist art, iconography and architecture. The technical session was followed by a cultural programme where artists performed Odissi and Chau (a martial art) dance along with classical songs.
The first half of the third day was dedicated for a presentation by hoteliers and tour operators on how to draw tourists into Odisha and make the Buddhist circuit of the state a global tourist destination. The session was chaired by Tripathy.
The valedictory ceremony was initiated by governor of Odisha, Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare .
Prof Himanshu Prabha Ray, chairperson, National Monuments Authority, Prof K T S Sarao, department of Buddhist studies, University of Delhi along with eminent scholars from Sri Lanka Prof Anura Manatunga and Prof Daya Edirisinghe from University of Kelaniya made valedictory speeches on prominence of Odisha in shaping the Buddhist history of the world.
