This Buddha Vihara in Karnataka is a place for peace and high learning Premium

With a hillock overlooking it and set in green environs, the Buddha Vihar on the outskirts of Kalaburagi city is fast turning into a major centre of Buddhist studies and a centre of research of Pali and Sanskrit languages.

With a hillock overlooking it and set in green environs, the Buddha Vihar on the outskirts of Kalaburagi city is fast turning into a major centre of Buddhist studies and a centre of research of Pali and Sanskrit languages.

The original Buddhist literature is mostly available in Pali and Sanskrit languages and mastering these two ancient languages is an absolute imperative to study and understand Buddhism and its philosophy. The International Institute of Pail, Sanskrit and Comparative Philosophy established in the sprawling 16 acre in the Buddha Vihar complex provides an opportunity for the scholars of Pail and Sanskrit languages to pursue their research on different aspects of Buddhism and Lord Buddha and his disciples.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Kalaburagi city, the institute provides the perfect setting for research scholars to pursue their research works and more than 10,000 books, stacked in the sprawling library, most of them are rare reference books.

Retired Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer Ramesh Begar, who is the administrative officer of the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, which manages the Buddha Vihar, in a chat with The Hindu, said that the institute is now on the verge of introducing post-graduate courses in Pali and Sanskrit languages, under Karnataka Sanskrit University, which would become base for pursuing the doctoral and postdoctoral courses in Buddhism and Lord Buddha. Both the Central and State governments had been liberal in providing funds for the establishment of the Institute and a sum ₹10 crores each has been provided by the Central and the State governments for the establishment of the institute, said Mr. Begar.

After a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka, who headed the institute at the beginning, returned to his native place to further upgrade his knowledge, senior Buddhist monks from Tripura and Hyderabad had headed the institute to guide students admitted in the six-month certificate course in Pali language. The search is now on for a full-time director for the institute and qualified faculty to broadbase its academic activities. So far more than 100 students have successfully completed the certificate course in Pali language.

Mr. Begar said that the construction of a fully air-conditioned modern library and a museum was on in full swing and soon it would be ready for inauguration. Apart from the priceless collection of books, the Trust has a rich collection of rare photographs of the Father of the Constitution Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and a collection of beautiful paintings of Lord Buddha and the important events in the life of Buddha and his disciples.

Kalaburagi district and the neighbouring Yadgir district are dotted with several Buddhist remains and the excavations at Kanaganahalli in Chitapur taluk in Kalaburagi revealed the existence of Buddhist civilization in the region at that time and it was during the excavation by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) that the officials came across the image of Emperor Ashoka, carved in a single slab of sandstone along with female attendants and queens. Incidentally, this was the only image of King Ashoka discovered so far. A very big Stupa was also uncovered during the excavation making it one of the important centres of Buddhism fit to be included in the Buddhist tourism circuit. Apart from this many Buddhist and Ashokan edicts have been recovered from many centres in Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Raichur districts.