Amid the chanting of hymns and sermons by Buddhist monks on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Dhauli Peace Pagoda on outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Friday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stressed on creating a peaceful and safer world for future generations.
Attending the golden jubilee celebration of DhauliShanti Stupa, Patnaiksaid,“Let us work together to spread the message of peace and create a safer world for our future generation.”
Hundreds of Buddhist monks from all over the world including Japan, the United States, Ukraine and Kazakhstan gathered at the Dhauli hills. Patnaik said the pages of Odisha history start with Dhauli and the Kalinga War.Although the war ended with massive bloodshed, Dhauli continues to sing the moral victory of entire humanity. It is the place where King Ashoka had realised the futility of war and bloodshed and embraced Buddhism. In fact, Dhauli changed the course of world history by spreading message of global peace and harmony.“This is the land that transformed Emperor Ashoka to Dharmashoka,” he said.
The Dhauli Peace Pagoda is a great creation of modern architecture. It bears the testimony of Indo-Japanese friendship that stands for global peace and mutual cooperation,Patnaik said.
Paying tribute to Fuji Guruji, he said, “On the eve of this momentous occasion, I offer my sincere tributes to most revered Nichidatsu Fuji Guruji of Japan, founder and preceptor of NipponzanMyohoji, for his invaluable contribution in building this ‘Biswa Shanti Stupa’. Further, the steps taken by Kalinga-Nippon Buddha Sangha to make it happen are also appreciated.”
Notably, the Government of Odisha has taken steps for beautification and holistic development of the Shanti Stupa to make it an international tourist destination.
On the, the CM announced construction of an in-stream storage on the river Daya at Basantpur at an estimated cost of Rs 95 crore. The tender process for the project has already been started.
Among others, Culture Minister Ashok Panda and Tourism Minister AswiniPatra attended the event.