Governor Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday inaugurated the 11th 10-day Tipitaka chanting on the premises of Mahabodhi Mahavihara.
More than 4,000 Buddhist monks and other devotees from 10 countries are taking part in the Tipitaka chanting under the banner of International Tipitaka Chanting Council and the Buddha Dhamma Foundation International.
Devotees from India, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Lao, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Cambodia are taking part in the chanting, which is being organised by Cambodia for the second successive year.
The first three Tipitaka chantings were organised by Sri Lanka, the fourth and fifth were conducted by Thailand, the sixth and seventh jointly by Bangladesh and Lao, the eighth and ninth by Myanmar, respectively. In the morning today, a procession was taken out from the Thai monastery to Kalchakra ground. Hundreds of monks and other Buddhist devotees participated in the procession, holding copy of the holy text in their hands.While inaugurating the Tipitaka chanting, Kovind said: "The event has provided an opportunity to preserve the text, which comprises the teachings of Buddha."
For the Tipitaka chanting, a 2,000-year-old text has been brought to Bodhgaya from Thailand by a special aircraft on Tuesday. The text was found during excavation in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan. Preserved in Norway, the Tipitaka text has been shifted to Thailand. The devotees would do the chanting at Kalchakra ground, around 200m northwest of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara. They will also perform prayers under the Bodhi tree. Organisers have made available the translated version of the text for devotees of each country. The devotees would also get an opportunity of night meditation on the Mahavihara campus from 9pm to 4am with special permission from Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC).
Earlier, the governor also laid the foundation stone for construction of social science building at Magadh University, Bodhgaya headquarters campus. The five-storeyed building would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore and it has to be completed in 18 months. There would be four departments, psychology, geography, labour and social welfare and women studies, in the building. For each department, there will be 400 students, teachers' room, staff room, separate common rooms for boys and girls.
