The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) announced Tuesday that India will host its first-ever Global Buddhist Conference in November. The conference will be held from November 19 to 20 at the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara campus in Nalanda, in the northern state of Bihar, DNA India reports. ICCR president Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe explained that the conference will invite a community of academics to deliberate upon one theme every year, beginning with this year’s theme of “Buddhism in Literature.” In the run-up to the event, four regional conferences in India—in Dharamsala, Gangtok, Sarnath, and Telangana—and four more abroad—in Cambodia, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand—will be held, with reports from each regional forum shared at the global conference. The ICCR also announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will present an award for the promotion of Buddhist studies on November 21 in New Delhi as part of the government’s plan to promote India’s Buddhist heritage. The award will be granted in recognition of the promotion of Buddhist studies internationally and comprises a cash reward of $20,000, a plaque, and a gold-plated medallion.
Source: India to Host Its First Global Buddhist Conference – Tricycle
