Buddhism in India’s Foreign Policy: PM Modi’s vision for global harmony
In 2024, at the India-ASEAN Summit, Modi gifted a vintage brass Buddha statue to Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith, symbolizing shared heritage and India’s commitment to cultural diplomacy.
In the same year, India sent several sacred relics of Lord Buddha and his disciples to Thailand. The relics of Lord Buddha and his disciples, Arahant Sariputta and Arahant Maha Moggallana, were taken to Bangkok by an Indian delegation and displayed for 25 days in four cities of Thailand .
In 2023, PM Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the Bal Bodhi Tree at Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi, reinforcing the deep-rooted Buddhism ties between India and Japan. India also hosted the first-ever Global Buddhist Summit, bringing together scholars and practitioners to discuss contemporary challenges through the lens of Buddhist philosophy, where Modi stressed that Buddha’s teachings provide solutions to global issues.
In 2022, PM Modi visited Lumbini, Nepal, on Buddha Purnima and laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage, a landmark project promoting Buddhist culture and strengthening Indo-Nepal spiritual ties.
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In 2022, India sent four Holy Relics of Lord Buddha, known as the Kapilavastu Relics, to Mongolia for an 11-day exposition coinciding with Mongolian Buddha Purnima celebrations. In 2018, Modi visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Singapore.
In 2017 during his visit to Sri Lanka Modi addressed the International Vesak Day Celebrations in Colombo and visited the Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple. In 2016, during his visit to Vietnam, Modi toured the Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi.
In 2015, visited the Da Xingshan Temple and Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an,