Sanchi, Sri Lanka - Sri Lankan Government and Indian government will jointly set up an International Buddhist University in Sanchi of India's Madhya Pradesh to boost cultural ties between the two countries.
After a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa the visiting Chief
Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan told the media in
Colombo that the proposed Buddhist University will be set up in a 65
acre land in Sanchi, a World Heritage Site of Buddhism.
According to Press Trust of India, the establishment of the proposed
University will be a joint venture involving the Indian and Sri Lankan
Governments, the Madhya Pradesh state government, and the Maha Bodhi
society.
The Chief Minister has revealed his government's plans to connect the
seven important Buddhist circuits in the state through infrastructure
of international standards to enable Sri Lankan and other Buddhist
tourists to visit the sites, PTI reported.
The idea to set up the University has been suggested by Sri Lanka's
former Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka during a visit to
Sanchi last October.
President Rajapaksa had agreed to set up a steering committee
comprising all relevant authorities to plan the set up of the
university.
Chief Minister Chauhan has said that the state government has decided
to provide Rs. 25 million for the purpose and would draw up the plans
for setting up of the university soon.
Buddhist countries like Japan and Korea are also proposed to be
involved in affairs of the University to give it a comprehensive
international status, Chauhan has noted.
The Chief Minister has invited President Rajapaksa and the Prime
Minister DM Jayaratne to attend the Sri Lanka Week to be held in
Sanchi.