India Showcases Buddhist heritage in southeast Asia; Govt steps up ASEAN tourism ties

New Delhi, Jul 24: In the past two years, the Government of India has organised two major expositions of the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha in Southeast Asia, the Ministry of Tourism informed Parliament on Thursday. The first exposition took place in Thailand from February 22 to March 19, 2024, drawing over 40 lakh devotees across four venues.

The second was held in Vietnam from May 2 to June 2, 2025, where relics from Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh were displayed at nine locations during Vesak celebrations, attracting around 1.8 crore visitors.

These initiatives aim to strengthen India’s spiritual and cultural ties with Buddhist-majority countries in the region. As part of ongoing ASEAN-India cooperation, India is supporting a feasibility study for developing an ASEAN Cultural Heritage List and has committed USD 5 million to support activities marking 2025 as the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism. Additional efforts include a high-level Thai delegation’s visit to Gujarat in June and a familiarisation tour of Buddhist sites for travel agents from five Southeast Asian countries. The upcoming International Tourism Mart in Sikkim will further promote tourism exchange between India's Northeast and ASEAN nations. Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, also detailed the support extended to states for tourism infrastructure under schemes like Swadesh Darshan, PRASHAD, and SASCI.