Dragon Palace Temple marks 25th anniversary in Nagpur

Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], November 16 (ANI): The Dragon Palace Temple marked its 25th anniversary in a grand event at Kamptee, Nagpur on November 15, an official statement said.

The Ogawa Society of Japan, which has contributed towards building the beautiful monastery complex at Kamptee was represented by around 50 monks from Japan. The event began in the morning of Friday with a celebration march by a group of Japanese monks who entered the monastery from a distance with conchs and drums playing alongside chanting in Japanese, the statement said.

The special prayer at the main monastery was led by Ven. Nichiyu (Kansen) Mochida and the venerable monks from Japan. Takako Tanaka, daughter of Mahaupasika Madam Noriko Ogawa also attended the event. Norito Ogawa has been instrumental in assisting Sulekhatai Kumbhare, the host of the event and the owner the Dragon Palace temple complex, in setting up the dragon palace temple complex, the statement added.

Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister, said in a post on X, "Paid my tributes to Lord Buddha at the Dragon Palace Temple in Nagpur, marking its 25th Anniversary. Joined by Hon'ble Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, it was a profound reminder of Buddha's teachings on peace, compassion and unity. A truly inspiring day at this sacred landmark!""Whenever you need peace, come to Dragon Palace Temple in Nagpur and feel Lord Buddha. Respected Sulekha Tai Kumbhare ji with the support from Ogawa Society of Japan has made this Buddhist centre a magnificent one. My greetings to lakhs of Buddhist followers," he added.

The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) co- partnered with the Dragon Palace Temple in organising the event. A number of international monks and those from different parts of India attended the event on behalf of the IBC.

Around 5,000 people from Kamptee and other parts of Nagpur attended the event. The Honourable minister for Culture and Tourism as well as the Honourable Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs participated in the event and spoke on the occasion.

Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Sekhawat stated that the Dragon Palace temple is a symbol of the commitment and dedication of the people of this region and our Japanese friends towards the essence and relevance of the Buddha Dhamma.

Shekhawat was optimistic that this bond will form the basis for future cooperation between the Buddhist domains in India and Japan and lauded Sulekhatai's efforts at encouraging these interactions.

As the Minister of Culture he also shared his commitment to develop numerous Buddhist sites in Maharashtra, including the Dragon Palace temple which will form part of such larger national circuits which are being envisaged, the statement said.

As per the statement, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that the role of Babasaheb Ambedkar in spreading the message of the Buddha has been tremendous in Maharashtra. His deep understanding of the sociopolitical narrative enabled him to begin what is also considered as the second major Dhamma event in India.

Rijiju also maintained that Babasaheb Ambedkar's contribution is immense towards the society and mankind in general, and this is due to the fact that certain of his ideas appear to have not only endured but have gained fresh significance as a result of the passage of time.

His message about the necessity to provide religion with a new doctrinal framework that "shall be in consonance with liberty, equality, and fraternity, in short, with democracy" is only one example. Because of this, there was a "total transformation of life's priorities."The chanting ceremony would go on at the Dragon Palace Temple on November 16-17 during the course of which cultural programs would also be held.

At a time when the state is witnessing hectic campaigning ahead of the Maharashtra elections, this Buddhist event stood out as a commitment of the people of Vidarbha and Maharashtra at large towards Buddha's teachings and Babasaheb's principles of social justice, liberty and fraternity, the statement added. (ANI)