Buddhist travellers land at Kushinagar Airport as India allows international flights

As India opened its skies for international travellers after two years on March 27, it received its first high-level Buddhist delegation from Vietnam and Thailand at Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh.

The delegation was led by the most venerable Thich Duc Thien, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha through a special Charter flight on March 27. This is the first high profile international visit to the recently inaugurated Kushinagar International Airport since the Government of India relaxed the Covid-19 protocol for international travel. 

The chartered flight which took off from Vietnam landed in Kushinagar to a warm welcome by the people of Kushinagar, according to a statement. The legislative members of the region welcomed the revered monks and assured all support during their stay in Kushinagar. 

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The team of visiting Vietnamese and Thai Buddhist monks also gave USD 1000 to the local legislator as their contribution towards the development of the Kushinagar Airport. Most Venerable Thich Duc Thien is an alumni of Indian Council International Relations and has studied Buddhism at Delhi University. He is also a member of the Vietnamese Parliament. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Kushinagar International Airport on October 20 last year. The airport aims to facilitate Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world by providing seamless connectivity to various Buddhist sites in the region. 

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) is the only government-recognized Buddhist organization in Vietnam. Many of the high ranking monks of VBS have studied from India. The VBS recently co-organized a quiz on Buddhism with the Embassy of India in Hanoi. The winners of the quiz from Vietnam will travel to India and visit the Buddhist sites. Similarly, winners from other countries, including Sri Lanka, Thailand and Japan will also be visiting the land of Buddha.

(With inputs from ANI)

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