This Buddha Vihara in Karnataka is a place for peace and high learning

With a hillock overlooking it and set in green environs, the Buddha Vihar on the outskirts of Kalaburagi city is fast turning into a major centre of Buddhist studies and a centre of research of Pali and Sanskrit languages.

The original Buddhist literature is mostly available in Pali and Sanskrit languages and mastering these two ancient languages is an absolute imperative to study and understand Buddhism and its philosophy. The International Institute of Pail, Sanskrit and Comparative Philosophy established in the sprawling 16 acre in the Buddha Vihar complex provides an opportunity for the scholars of Pail and Sanskrit languages to pursue their research on different aspects of Buddhism and Lord Buddha and his disciples.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Kalaburagi city, the institute provides the perfect setting for research scholars to pursue their research works and more than 10,000 books, stacked in the sprawling library, most of them are rare reference books.

Retired Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer Ramesh Begar, who is the administrative officer of the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, which manages the Buddha Vihar, in a chat with The Hindu, said that the institute is now on the verge of introducing post-graduate courses in Pali and Sanskrit languages, under Karnataka Sanskrit University, which would become base for pursuing the doctoral and postdoctoral courses in Buddhism and Lord Buddha. Both the Central and State governments had been liberal in providing funds for the establishment of the Institute and a sum ₹10 crores each has been provided by the Central and the State governments for the establishment of the institute, said Mr. Begar.

Search for director

After a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka, who headed the institute at the beginning, returned to his native place to further upgrade his knowledge, senior Buddhist monks from Tripura and Hyderabad had headed the institute to guide students admitted in the six-month certificate course in Pali language. The search is now on for a full-time director for the institute and qualified faculty to broadbase its academic activities. So far more than 100 students have successfully completed the certificate course in Pali language.

Mr. Begar said that the construction of a fully air-conditioned modern library and a museum was on in full swing and soon it would be ready for inauguration. Apart from the priceless collection of books, the Trust has a rich collection of rare photographs of the Father of the Constitution Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and a collection of beautiful paintings of Lord Buddha and the important events in the life of Buddha and his disciples.

Kalaburagi district and the neighbouring Yadgir district are dotted with several Buddhist remains and the excavations at Kanaganahalli in Chitapur taluk in Kalaburagi revealed the existence of Buddhist civilization in the region at that time and it was during the excavation by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) that the officials came across the image of Emperor Ashoka, carved in a single slab of sandstone along with female attendants and queens. Incidentally, this was the only image of King Ashoka discovered so far. A very big Stupa was also uncovered during the excavation making it one of the important centres of Buddhism fit to be included in the Buddhist tourism circuit. Apart from this many Buddhist and Ashokan edicts have been recovered from many centres in Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Raichur districts.

The imposing Buddha Vihar itself is a masterpiece of modern architecture retaining all the original features of the ancient Buddhist structures all around the world. According to Mr. Begar, a team of architects and the officials who worked on this project had studied books on Buddhism and visited famous Buddha temples across India, Thailand and Singapore to study the structural aspects of various Buddha Vihars and retain the finer points of structural aspects of these buildings during the construction of the Buddha Vihar in Kalaburagi city. The Buddha Vihar has now become an important landmark for the city.

The Buddha Vihar was constructed under the aegis of the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, for which the All India Congress Committee President M. Mallikarjun Kharge is the founder-Chairman. Mr. Kharge is a disciple of Buddhism and an Ambedkarite.

Vihar structure

It took almost seven years to raise the magnificent 70-feet main complex of Buddha Vihar. The construction works on the structure started in February, 2002, and the project was completed in January, 2009.

The Buddha Vihar can be divided into the main building which has a Lord Buddha temple on the ground floor and a meditation hall at the cellar. The dome is reminiscent of ancient stupas and Buddhist architecture, and the intricate marble tiling adds a touch of grandeur to this structure. The main dome tiled with marble measures 70-feet in height and 59-feet in diameter is adorned with an ornamental spire crafted from panchaloha (five metals). The intricately carved doors in rosewood and teakwood are designed by Mysuru-based artisan Kaiser Ali. Standing sentinel at the four corners are four Ashoka pillars, each measuring 48 feet tall.

Idol imported from Thailand

The ground floor houses a Buddha temple having 8.5-foot-tall gold-coated idol of the Lord Buddha, imported from Thailand, is said to be the biggest sitting idol of the Lord Buddha in south India. This temple structure is spread over a 15,500 sq ft area with 170 pillars and 284 blocks on ceiling. Each block is intricately carved depicting a tale of a different architectural marvel resembling the Buddha temples of Ajanta, Nagpur, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Japan, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The meditation hall in the cellar has a 6.5-foot-tall black stone Buddha idol made by Bidadi-based famous sculptor Ashok Gudigar. The Lord Buddha seated on a lotus, crafted with exquisite attention to detail, capturing the divine attributes and serene countenance of meditating Buddha that emanates a spiritual aura and divine presence, evoking a sense of peace, serenity and reverence.

In a green landscape

The main complex of Buddha Vihar is in the midst of the garden with a variety of ornamental plants and trees. On the right side of the main complex is a 2,000-seating capacity open-air theatre and the left side of the complex attracts visitors with a group of 11 cement statues led by a bronze statue of Dr. Ambedkar indicating the Dhamma Kranti Yatra of 1956. The installation pays homage to the social reformer for his tireless efforts for revival of Buddhism in India.

The entrance arch of the Buddha Vihar is constructed in the shape of a peepal (Bodhi) leaf that symbolises enlightenment. A beautiful landscape garden stretches from the main entrance to the Vihara complex.

The U-shaped Dhamma complex houses study centre, photo gallery, conference hall and exhibition hall. Recently, a six-foot-high marble idol of Lord Buddha has reached the museum hall in the Dhamma complex, which was donated by a television actor Gagan Malik.

The Buddha Vihar was inaugurated by the then President of India Pratibha Patil in January, 2009, in presence of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual leader. The then Governor Rameshwar Thakur, former chief ministers B.S. Yediyurappa and the Late N. Dharm Singh attended the inaugural function of the Buddha Vihar.

Nobel Laureate Dalai Lama visited the Buddha Vihar twice - during its inaugural function and also on the first anniversary. He underlined the need for developing this Centre into one for higher learning in Buddhism instead of keeping it a religious place.

The Buddha Vihar draws huge crowds during the full moon days. The Buddhist monks from all the important Buddhist centres including Bodh Gaya, Saranath, Nagpur and other places make a beeline to the Buddha Vihar regularly. Devotees from the neighbouring Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra throng the Buddha Vihar on all important occasions in the Buddhist calendar, more particularly during the Buddha Purnima, Dasara, and birth and death anniversaries of Ambedkar.