Dalai Lama arrives in Patna to inaugurate Buddha Smriti Park

Patna, May 26 (ANI): The Tibetan spiritual leader reached Patna by a special flight on Wednesday to inaugurate Buddha Smriti Park.

On arrival at the Patna airport, the Bihar Chief Minster, Nitish Kumar, received him.

"I am very happy to come here to participate on the consecration of this temple at a holy place. And the Chief Minster really tends to Buddha dharma (religion), one of the important India's tradition and particularly the Sanskrit tradition. So he is very keen to revive, not necessarily Buddhist religion, and rather Buddhist concept and Buddhist signs," said the Dalai Lama.

He will inaugurate the Buddha Smriti Park on Thursday on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.

Buddha Purnima or, the full moon day commemorates Lord Buddha's birthday, enlightenment, and according to some traditions, his death.

he Buddha Smriti Park is spread over 22 of acres land and was built at the cost of Rs 1.25 billion.

Delegates from countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan and Myanmar will also attend the inauguration.

Holy relics and gifts like a sapling from the holy banyan tree at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka have also been brought to be a part of the ceremony.

However, even before its inauguration, the memorial park has got into legal troubles after a Patna-based lawyer filed a public interest suit seeking to restrain its inauguration. (ANI)