On Sunday, the Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh welcomed the first batch of Buddhist travellers. A set of high-level Buddhist delegations arrived at the airport from Vietnam and Thailand. The delegation was led by Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Thich Duc Thien. Apparently, Thich Duc Thien has studied Buddhism at Delhi University and is an alumni of Indian Council International Relations. At present, he is a member of the Vietnamese Parliament.
The delegation reached Kushinagar on March 27 via special charter flight and the monks were welcomed by the legislative member of the region at the airport. The team of Vietnamese and Thai Buddhists also gave USD 1000 to the local legislator for the development of the Airport.
Kushinagar airport was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on October 20 last year. The main aim behind opening this airport is to facilitate Buddhist pilgrims from across the globe a seamless connectivity to various sites in India connected to Lord Buddha.
As of now, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) is the only government-recognised Buddhist organisation in Vietnam and a number of high ranking monks of VBS have studied in India. Recently, the VBS along with the Embassy of India in Hanoi had co-organised a quiz on Buddhism.
As a prize, the quiz winners from Vietnam are being taken to India and visit various Buddhist sites in the country. Similarly, winners from countries including Sri Lanka, Thailand and Japan will also be visiting the land of Buddha soon.
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