On 18 September 2024, Ms. Siriporn Tantipanyathep, Consul-General of Thailand in Kolkata along with the Consulate-General’s officer and staff paid respect to Venerable Sheelratna Bodhi, Chief Abbot of Dhammaland the Monastic School, Birbila, Raipur, which is the largest Buddhist temple in Chhattisgarh. The purpose of the visit was to support the revival of Buddhism in Chhattisgarh, by making a donation to the temple for the construction of its building and facilities in order to accommodate religious activities for Buddhist monks and devotees in Chhattisgarh. The temple has used the donation to purchase construction materials such as ceramic tiles for flooring and kitchen countertop, and cement to construct the chapel, monk’s residential quarters, and kitchen. Moreover, the Consul-General also planted the sapling from the scared Maha Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya to bless the temple and to symbolize the efforts to revive Buddhism in Chhattisgarh.
In the past, Buddhism used to flourish in Chhattisgarh, as seen in many historical evidences such as: (1) The existence of Sirpur, the former capital of Dakshina Kosala Kingdom, which patronized Buddhism; (2) The record of Hsien Tsang (or Xuanzhang), a renowned Chinses Buddhist monk visiting Sirpur in 639 CE; and (3) The existence of Sirpur Group of Monuments archeological site, which comprised of many Buddhist temple including Ananda Prabhu Kuti Vihara, which was constructed in the 8th Century. These historical anecdotes are quite interesting for the Buddhist followers and will help boost Chhattisgarh’s status as one of the destinations within Buddhist Pilgrimage Circuit in the future. In addition, Venerable Sheelratna Bodhi also studied Dhamma with Venerable Phra Bhavanadhammabhiraj, the Chief Abbot of Wat Ram Poeng (Tapotaram) in Chiang Mai, Thailand.