India's vision for Lumbini: Buddhist Culture Center Reaches 40% Completion

May 24, 2024

Lumbini (Nepal), May 24 (ANI): Indian Ambassador for Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, inspected the construction site of the India International Center for Buddhist Culture and Heritage (IICBCH) on Thursday to receive an update on the progress. According to officials from the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), the project has achieved 40% progress within 8 months after the ground-breaking or "Bhoomi Pooja" ceremony held in August 2023. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 2022 visit to Lumbini alongside then Nepali counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba had laid the foundation stone for the construction of Buddhist Center. A year later the formal process to start the construction of the state-of-art building with zero carbon emission kick started. This project is being overseen by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi over the land plot allocated by the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) under an agreement between IBC and LDT which was signed in March, 2022. The completion of the India International Center for Buddhist Culture and Heritage is expected to become a hub where all information relating to Gautam Buddha will be available. Once completed, the center will be a world-class facility welcoming pilgrims and tourists from all over the world to experience the essence of the spiritual aspects of Buddhism. The state-of-the-art building, shaped like a bloomed lotus, will be modern and NetZero compliant in terms of energy, water, and waste handling. It will house prayer halls, meditation centers, a library, an exhibition hall, a cafeteria, offices, and other amenities.