On February 11, a group of 108 Buddhist saints from South Korea started Dhamma Yatra (walking pilgrimage) from Sarnath. They will cover 1,100 Kilometres in the next 43 days to trace the footsteps of Lord Buddha in India. The journey will finish at Shravasti, and the group will also travel through Nepal. This Yatra also marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between India and South Korea.
A group of South Korean saints started their journey from #Sarnath in Varanasi on Saturday, their first stop was Ramnagar in #Varanasi.
— DD News (@DDNewslive) February 12, 2023
Take a look at where the group is progressing in this special report with DD News correspondent Harikesh Bahadur Singh pic.twitter.com/E3luiVHOVr
The event aims to strengthen further the mutual cooperation and friendship between the two nations. The group of saints will travel through various Buddhist holy sites, including Lumbini, Nepal, known as the birth Place of Lord Buddha, to Kushinagar, the place of Mahaparinirvana.
#WalkWithBuddha
— DD News Bihar | डीडी न्यूज बिहार (@ddnewsBihar) February 11, 2023
Delegation of #Korean #monk arrived in New Delhi.
✅A walking pilgrimage through #Buddhist circuit,1,100 km in 43 days.
✅India-South Korea celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations.#Bodhgaya @MIB_India @DDNewslive @ROB_Patna #Bihar @MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/yC9QbY3IfI
The Saints started their journey with a prayer at the Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath. It is believed that Lord Buddha preached his first sermons at this place. The Tourism Department of Uttar Pradesh gave a grand welcome to the Saints with 108-meter Dhammadhvaja. Ayush Minister of UP, Dayashankar Mishra, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India, Chang Jae-bok and others attended the function.
At the event, Mishra said that Lord Buddha started his Dhamma Yatra from Sarnath by giving the first sermons and turning Dharma Chakra. He said, “I congratulate you for starting your 43-day pilgrimage from this holy place.”
Mishra added that this Yatra would strengthen the relationship between India and South Korea. Citing history, he said that the origin of Buddhist Jogye Sangha of Korea finds its roots in India. The Buddhist teacher Bodhidharma took Buddha’s Dhamma to China. His disciple Huineng took the tradition of meditation Seon to Korea. He said, “Shravasti, the origin of your meditation tradition Seon, is where your journey is coming to an end. In this sense, you have not come abroad but to the home of your spiritual ancestors.”
Chang Jae-bok said that 2023 is essential for the bilateral relations between South Korea and India. “This occasion coincides with India’s G20 Presidency, and South Korea is committed to India’s success at G20,” he added. He further remarked that the motto of India’s G20 presidency, ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future,’ is similar to the teachings of Lord Buddha.
The Saints will visit Bodhgaya in Bihar after Sarnath. Later, they will cover Nalanda, Rajgir, Griddhakuta mountain, and Vaishali in Bihar and move to Lumbini in Nepal. They will re-enter Uttar Pradesh via Kushinagar and complete the Yatra in Shravasti after visiting Kapilvastu.
