Pilgrims face various hardships when visiting Sanchi, an underdeveloped area in Bhopal in the modern state of Madhya Pradesh. Its biggest drawback has been the lack of a pilgrims rest or lodging facilities for pilgrims coming to this spot, far from the traditional pilgrimage route to Dambadiva. The plans for a pilgrims’ rest in Sanchi were made three years ago by the Ministry of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development on the directions of Hon Dinesh Gunawardena Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development, under the guidance of President HE Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The Vandana Niketana established in Sanchi by the National Physical Planning Department of the Ministry of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development is a three-storeyed pilgrims’ rest containing an image house, sermon rooms, bedrooms for pilgrims, open living rooms, bathrooms, a kitchen and sanitary facilities.
The Indian Government, the Government of Madhya Pradesh, the Public Works Department of Madhya Pradesh, the Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka which gifted the Land and the Chief Incumbent of Sanchi Ven Banagala Upatissa thero all collaborated in this effort.
The Chief Incumbent of Sanchi Ven Banagala Upatissa thero, representatives of the Indian people led by the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Hon. Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Mrs Sumedha Jayasena, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Development, Dr Prathap Ramanujam, Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development and many clergy and laity from Sri Lanka and overseas participated on this occasion.
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