Sunday, July 17 2005 15:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Hyderabad: In search of a new path to promote tourism, Andhra Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Sri Lankan government to showcase Buddhist sites in the state to tourists from the island nation and South East Asia.

As part of the agreement, Sri Lankan Airlines will operate its services seven times a week to the city at very attractive prices and the package offers leisure, heritage and shopping. Besides, 15 Sri Lankan tour agents have teamed up with the state government to promote Buddhist tourism, State Tourism Minister J Geeta Reddy said.

"Concentration is more on Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore at present and we will try to attract as many tourists as possible to show them the Buddhist trail in our state," she said.

Reddy, who recently visited Colombo and Bangkok to launch holiday packages there to showcase Andhra Pradesh as tourist destination having a strong Buddhist base, said the MOU was signed with Sri Lankan government for mutual cooperation.

She would next visit Singapore and Malaysia to bring awareness about the presence of about 144 Buddhist sites in the state and the entire effort will culminate in a mega event 'Kala Chakra' empowerment at Amaravati in January 2006 to which Dalai Lama will be visiting as chief guest.

It is believed that Lord Buddha first revealed Kala chakra; the Wheel of Time taught by Buddha to Shakyamuni, at Amaravati, which is closely associated with Dhanyakataka.

The state government had organised road shows and exhibitions in Colombo and Bangkok packaging the culture, facilities and other amenities in the 'Promotion of Buddhist Trail and Hyderabad', Reddy said adding she was happy with the response and will be pursuing the mater in Singapore and Malaysia soon.

The Buddhist circuit, Reddy said, starts from Hussain Sagar lake, where the giant monolithic statue of Buddha has become the landmark of the city and it traverses through Nagarjuna konda and Amaravathi in Guntur districts and in Visakhapatnam where relics and evidence of the religion are still found.

The initial focus will be on Nagarjunakonda, named after Nagarjuna, a Buddhist saint who had founded Madhyamika School of Philosophy. Known in ancient times as 'Vijayapuri'. it was the seat of learning where scholars from all parts of India, Ceylon and China came.

The ruins of an ancient Buddhist university, excavated during the construction of Nagarjunasagar dam, have been preserved in the island museum.

Amaravathi, one the major Buddhist places of worship, has a mahastupa which is one of the largest in the country measuring 36.5 feet across and girdled by a circulatory path richly adorned with carvings that depict events from the life and times of Buddha.

The circuit will be flagged off from the giant 350 ton 18 metre monolith statue of Buddha presiding in supreme bliss on a huge rock of in the midst of Hussain Sagar lake and takes the tourist to Nagarjunakonda, where several monasteries, including the Chaitya (bathing ghat) and an amphitheatre were excavated.