Bettiah, Sept. 22 :    Bettiah, Sept. 22:  Impoverished farmers of crime-prone Champaran district in North Bihar are pinning their hopes on 'religious tourism' for development of the backward area. The district, which abounds in historical relics, has been linked to the Buddhist tourist circuit map covering Lumbinipark in Nepal, Rajgir, Vaishali and Nalanda in central Bihar and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the circuit was incomplete without the inclusion of the district as Gautam Buddha became an ascetic in Champaran. The district, known for its contribution to the country's freedom struggle, has now become a Buddhist hotspot with the discovery of several archaeological sites. The ASI is excavating a stupa in Kesaria village, which, according to experts, can compared to Java's Borobudur stupa in size. ASI superintendent, Patna circle, Mohammed K.K. said, 'Champaran has been untapped as far as Buddhist relics are concerned. It is veritable a treasure trove.' The ASI, which has set up a special team to complete the work, is scouting for archaeological mounds every 10 km in the district. Besides Kesaria, Rampura has also found a place in the archaeological map as the ASI has unearthed a stupa there. A Mauryan stone pillar with a lionhead at the top was also excavated from Rampura. It is now in the Calcutta Museum. The head of a nandi bull excavated from a neighbouring village now graces the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The ASI has identified another mound at Sagar Dih, nearly 30 km from Lauriya Bazar, the site from where the bull's motif was unearthed. 'The Champaran project is the most ambitious one in recent times. If all the stupas in the area are excavated it will add a vital chapter in the chronology of Buddha's life, specially the phase of his transition from a prince to an ascetic,' said Mohammed K.K. While the ASI is busy excavating the sites, the residents of Champaran are looking forward to an economic resurgence. The people, mostly farmers, have been hit by the closure of sugar mills in the area. Rich farmers are finding it difficult to sustain agriculture as day labourers have migrated to neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Lauriya Bazar located between the Ashoka pillar and the world's largest stupa at Nandangarh wears a deserted look. 'There is no money here. Trade and commerce have come to a grinding halt. Only visits by government officials generate revenue,' said Shivanand, a shopowner in Rampura. Unemployment has spawned 'vendetta violence' and organised crime. Petty gangsters control every aspect of social life and extortion is rampant. Teachers in interior villages are often abducted for ransom and caste armies hold sway over agriculture. A former MP from Bettiah, Dharmesh P.D. Verma had prepared a development plan for the area and lobbied for the inclusion of Champaran in the country's tourist map.