Foreign tourist group visits Buddhist circuit in Bihar

Gaya, Oct 7 (UNI) ''Mahaparinirvana Express'', a special train run by the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to mark the 2550th year of salvation (Mahaparinirvana) of Lord Buddha, arrived here today with 50 religious tourists from a number of Southeast Asian countries.

IRCTC Deputy General Manager Manvendra Pratap Singh said among the group 28 tourists had come from Thailand, 18 from South Korea and two each from Singapore and Hong Kong.

On their arrival at the nearby Gaya junction, the visitors were taken to Bodh Gaya for a visit to the famous Bodhi temple and the Mahabodhi tree where Lord Buddha had attained salavation.

During their two-day stay in Bihar, the tourists would take a tour of the entire Budhist circuit in the State comprising Nalanda, Rajgir, Sarnath, Sravasti and Vaishali besides Bodh Gaya, Mr Singh said, ''he hope that the visit would further boost the scope of tourism in this historically rich Eastern state.'' Meanwhile,the Korean delegation leader Park Kim Tuang hailing the IRCTC's role in organising the week-long visit in the special train, said it was a ''wonderful and unforgotable experience'' for them and hoped that many more such tourists would arrive here soon for a conducted visit to the country's famous 'Buddihist circuit'.

UNI