The Dragon Palace Temple marked its 25th anniversary in a grand event at Kamptee, Nagpur on November 15, 2024. 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 15th November 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 special prayer at the main monastery was led by Ven. Nichiyu (Kansen) Mochida and the venerable monks from Japan. Ms Takako Tanaka daughter of Mahaupasika Madam Noriko Ogawa also attended the event. Madam Norito Ogawa has been instrumental in assisting Ms Sulekhatai Kumbhare, the host of the event and the owner the Dragon Palace temple complex, in setting up the dragon palace temple complex. 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 5000 people from Kamptee and other parts of Nagpur attended the event.

Union minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju participated in the event and spoke on the occasion. Shri 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. Shri Shekhawat was optimistic that this bond will form the basis for future cooperation between the Buddhist domains in India and Japan and lauded Ms 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.

Union Minister Shri 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. Shri Kiren 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.”

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Beena Yadav

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