On the anvil, trans-national Buddhist circuit from India to Nepal
by Divya A, The India Express, May 31, 2016
The map of the Buddhist circuit as envisaged by the ministry comprises Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, Rajgir and Kushinagar in Bihar, Sarnath, and Shravasti in UP, along with Kapilavastu and Lumbini in Nepal where Buddha was born.
New Delhi, India -- The Ministry of Tourism is set to announce the Buddhist circuit as India’s first trans-national tourist circuit. The effort will promote tourism in Nepal and Sri Lanka alongside that in India, with sites in the Buddhist circuit as well as the Ramayana circuit spanning the other two countries.

The map of the Buddhist circuit as envisaged by the ministry comprises Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, Rajgir and Kushinagar in Bihar, Sarnath, and Shravasti in UP, along with Kapilavastu and Lumbini in Nepal where Buddha was born.
The ministry has already taken the Buddhist circuit under its Swadesh Darshan scheme, and released funds of Rs 100 crore. Meanwhile, talks are on with private players to come up with hotels around the sites and the World Bank to invest in infrastructure, the official said. A mega convention centre to accommodate 2,500 people has been approved in Bodh Gaya, so that corporate groups can hold conventions while touring the Buddhist circuit. Talks are also on with domestic tour operators to sell the entire circuit to groups of travellers, rather than just the India part.
The effort to promote Buddhist and Ramayana circuits comes ahead of polls in UP, home to many sites in these two circuits. Sources say that beyond state elections, the move is also aimed at countering China’s dominance as a centre of Buddhism though it originated in India.