SRINAGAR: The Government of India has intensified efforts to promote domestic and international tourism across Buddhist cultural and heritage sites, including Piprahwa in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Responding to a starred question by MP Jagdambika Pal, the Minister said the Ministry of Tourism regularly showcases destinations like Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Vaishali, Shravasti, and Piprahwa through promotional events, travel fairs, influencer programmes, familiarisation tours, and assistance to States for organising fairs and festivals.
Official data shows Siddharthnagar district, home to the ancient Piprahwa stupa linked to the Buddha’s relics, recorded 15.92 lakh domestic tourist visits and 34,466 foreign tourist visits over the past five years, with the highest total of 5.10 lakh visitors in 2020. Last year, the district saw 1.18 lakh visitors, including 17,546 foreign arrivals.
Highlighting regional cooperation, Shekhawat said India engages with Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka to promote Buddhist tourism, including cross-border pilgrim movement between Lumbini in Nepal and Siddharthnagar via NH-233. The Kushinagar International Airport has boosted direct access for overseas pilgrims, while the Ministry of Railways runs theme-based tourist trains linking Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Lumbini, and Shravasti.
The Ministry has sanctioned multiple projects under its Swadesh Darshan, PRASHAD, Assistance to Central Agencies, Challenge Based Destination Development, and SASCI schemes to enhance facilities at Buddhist sites nationwide. Key works include convention centres at Bodhgaya (₹165.44 crore under Swadesh Darshan 2.0), development of the Sanchi-Satna-Rewa-Mandsaur-Dhar circuit in Madhya Pradesh (Rs 74.02 crore), enrichment of Buddhist heritage at Nagarjuna Sagar in Andhra Pradesh (Rs 25 crore), and pilgrimage amenities in Sikkim’s Yuksom (Rs 33.32 crore).
Shekhawat said these investments aim to provide “world-class infrastructure, improved connectivity, and enriched cultural experiences” to attract more domestic and foreign tourists to India’s Buddhist heritage network.
