The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : India leagues ahead of others in tolerance, says Dalai Lama

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 03, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

India leagues ahead of others in tolerance, says Dalai Lama

Staff Reporter

All praise for arrangements made for Kalachakra ceremony

WARM WELCOME: The Dalai Lama being received at the Hyderabad airport by Tourism Minister J. Geeta Reddy in Hyderabad on Monday. - Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Monday said that India was a model for the entire world, given its tolerance and being home to myriad traditions, religions and faiths.

Speaking to presspersons on the first day of his 10-day visit to Andhra Pradesh to participate in Kalachakra-2006 at Amaravathi in Guntur district, the Lama appreciated the efforts of the State Government at making arrangements for keeping alive the Buddhist tradition and culture. He, nevertheless, said the State Government, too, stood to gain by way of revenue generation through tourism.

Earlier visit

Walking down memory lane, the Lama recalled that he had visited Nagarjunakonda in 1956 before it was submerged by the backwaters of the Nagarjunasagar dam.

Describing Acharya Nagarjuna as the Second Buddha, he said, while being spiritual, he was also known for his scientific temper. Scholarly writings apart, he was known for his work on quantum physics too, he said.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who called on the Dalai Lama, said that Andhra Pradesh had always been a part of the Buddhist circuit and that the Government would do everything to make sure that Buddhists had a comfortable stay here.

Statue consecrated

Earlier, the Lama consecrated the 17-metre-tall, 320 tonnes monolithic Buddha in the Hussainsagar. He also inaugurated the Holy Relics Gallery at the State Museum in the presence of the Chief Minister, Union Minister for Urban Development and Culture S. Jaipal Reddy, Ministers - N. Rajyalakshmi (Archaeology and Museums) and J. Geeta Reddy (Tourism).

Dalai Lama arrived in the morning to a warm reception by Dr. Geeta Reddy, and senior tourism officials.

Scores of Tibetans and other Buddhist tourists in city for Kalachakra showed their devotion by turning up at his various programmes.

He would proceed by road to Nagarjunasagar on Tuesday. He would visit an up-and-coming Buddha Centre of Learning and plant two Bodhi saplings on either side of the Krishna - one at Buddha Vanam and the other at Apuna, where the remains of an ancient Buddhist University existed.

He would leave for Amaravathi on Wednesday.

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