Iconic stupa replica coming up in city

Mahendra Hills: A replica of the Amravati Stupa which is at Amravati village in Andhra Pradesh is coming up at the Ananda Buddha Vihara at Mahendra Hills. The serene three-acre campus will now get an added attraction with relics from Thailand being brought to be placed inside the stupa. Chetan Boudh, the manager of Ananda Buddha Vihara, says, “The Stupa is going to add a lot of sanctity as relics from Thailand would be placed and it is going to be the holiest place in the city. Bhikkhu Bodhi, 74 a prominent monk in the West is visiting the city for the inauguration.”

The Stupa will be a replica of the Amravati Stupa but will also have a few motifs from the Sanchi Stupa as well. Built at a cost of Rs 60 lakh with a major contribution from Anjaneya Reddy former DGP and chairman of Tourism department, the centre is going to become a nerve point for Buddhist Studies say the staff. The sprawling Buddha Vihara that plays host to meditation activities and a teaching centre for monks sits atop the Mahendra Hills is a centre of peace and quiet. The centre is one of the 14 spread across India and come under the aegis of Bodhi Society, headquartered in Bengaluru.

At present, there are 30 monks studying at the Mahendra Hills centre. On Sundays there are special talks and meditation workshops are conducted for people. There is an air of excitement at the centre and as a build up to the inauguration, a procession of monks from Hussain Sagar to the Ananda Buddha Vihara is being planned on January 11.