Gaya, Oct. 10: Residents and administrative officials of the district are getting ready to roll out the red carpet to royalty and heads of states scheduled to visit Bodhgaya in the coming tourist season.
Sources said the tourist season in Bodhgaya starts in late October and continues till February. Thousands of tourists and devotees flock to the holy town to visit the historic temples.
This year, Myanmar President U. Thein Sien is scheduled to visit Bodhgaya. He will be accompanied by his wife Daw Khin Khin Win and a 63-member entourage, including some ministers of his government. They will arrive on October 12 and leave the next day.
Close relatives of Vietnam President Nguyen Tan Dung are also scheduled to visit on October 13.
Besides them, the princess of Thailand will come to Bodhgaya in the first week of November, while the prince, Maha Vajiralongkorn, will visit in December.
Sources in Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) said its officials would ensure that the delegates visit the Mahabodhi Mahavihara. While the BTMC secretary will welcome the delegates, the chief priest of the temple will lead them in prayers in front of the Buddha statue in the sanctum sanctorum.
The chief priest, Bhikkhu Chalinda, said: “Bodhgaya is the site of enlightenment of Gautama Buddha. So, all Buddhists want to visit the site at least once in their lives.”
He added: “The delegates will be gifted with a miniature replica of the Mahavihara.”
Sources said the consulate-generals of Thailand and Myanmar in India are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the visit of the leaders of their country is hassle-free. They recently met Gaya airport director Samar Kumar Biswas to ensure smooth operations of the flights of the delegates. Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is expected to fly in his own plane as he did last year.
Besides the foreign delegates, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, is also scheduled to visit Bodhgaya for the 11-day-long Kalachakra Puja that will start on December 31 this year. Sources said security will be beefed up during the visit.
