Patna: A four-day Mahayana chanting ceremony, attended by monks from China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Nepal and India, ended in Rajgir on Sunday.

The monks had gathered at the ancient Nalanda university ruins and chanted Buddhist sutras at stupa number three. According to Chinese and Korean literature, the stupa is Mulgandhakuti, the place where Buddha spent one of his rainy season retreats.

This was the first Mahayana chanting ceremony organised by the Light of the Buddha Dharma Foundation International and International Buddhist Confederation in Rajgir to revive ancient Buddhist traditions.

The chanting ceremony opened at Griddhakuta hills on December 14 where Buddha had delivered the heart sutra, lotus sutra and other important Mahayana sutras, and continued at the Rajgir Conventional Hall.

The ancient Nalanda university had been home to one of the most prominent Mahayana monasteries in the first millennium where monks gathered and practiced Buddha's teachings. Identification of Buddhist sites, lost in the 11th century AD, began in the 19th century with help from the travel accounts of Hiuen Tsang. The organisers of the chanting ceremony plan to revive the traditions and extend the chanting programme to a few more sites in the neighbourhood of Rajgir such as Silao, where Buddha exchanged robes with Mahakassapa.

"The exchange of robes is an important event in Buddhist traditions, and yet Silao is a neglected site. The monks have resolved to organise a special prayer ceremony for Hiuen Tsang from next year," International Buddhist Confederation consultant Deepak Anand told The Telegraph.