**Policy Summary: India's Buddhist Diplomacy Initiatives**
The Government of India, through the Ministry of Tourism and in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, has been actively engaged in promoting cultural and spiritual ties with Southeast Asian countries, leveraging its Buddhist heritage. Key initiatives include facilitating expositions of the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha in Thailand (February 22 - March 19, 2024) and Vietnam (May 2 - June 2, 2025). The Thailand exposition attracted over 4 million devotees across four venues, while the Vietnam exposition drew an estimated 18 million visitors to nine locations.
India is supporting ASEAN in a feasibility study for developing an ASEAN Cultural Heritage List. The annual ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers Meeting continues to serve as a platform for exchanging views and enhancing tourism cooperation. The year 2025 is designated as the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism, supported by USD 5 million in funding from the ASEAN-India Fund.
A high-level Thai delegation, along with Indian delegates, visited Gujarat from June 18, 2025, to strengthen spiritual and cultural connections. The Ministry of External Affairs, under the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Plan of Action 2019-24, organized a nine-day trip for 50 travel agency representatives from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam to visit prominent Buddhist sites in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (June 2-10, 2025).
The International Tourism Mart (ITM) in Sikkim in 2025 will incorporate business networking opportunities between travel stakeholders from the North Eastern region and global buyers, including those from ASEAN countries.
The Ministry of Tourism supports the development and promotion of tourist destinations through central sector schemes like Swadesh Darshan (SD), Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0), Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD), and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD). These schemes provide financial assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for tourism infrastructure development, contingent on fund availability, adherence to guidelines, and submission of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs). Furthermore, the Government of India's initiative for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) has provided financial assistance for tourism projects in states. Details of projects, including Buddhist Heritage sites sanctioned under SD, SD2.0, CBDD, PRASHAD and SASCI schemes are annexed.
The Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, provided this information in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
Contact: Sunil Kumar Tiwari, tourism4pibat@gmail.com, Release ID: 2147794
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Tourism: The Indian government ministry responsible for the development and promotion of tourism in India.
Thailand: A Southeast Asian country where relics of Buddha and his disciples were displayed.
Vietnam: A Southeast Asian country where relics from Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh, were displayed during Vesak celebrations.
Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh: A location in Andhra Pradesh, India, where relics displayed in Vietnam originated.
ASEAN: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with which India is fostering cultural and tourism cooperation.
ASEAN-India Fund: A fund established by the Government of India to support ASEAN-India tourism initiatives, with a funding of USD 5 million.
Mekong Ganga Cooperation: A cooperation initiative between India and countries in the Mekong region, including a plan of action involving tourism to Buddhist sites.
Swadesh Darshan: A central sector scheme of the Ministry of Tourism for integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits.
Ministry of Tourism
India’s Buddhist Diplomacy
Posted On: 24 JUL 2025 4:58PM by PIB Delhi
In the past two years, Government has facilitated two significant expositions of the Holy Relics of Lord
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Buddha in Southeast Asia. The first, held in Thailand from 22 February to 19 March 2024, included relics
of Buddha and his disciples, and witnessed wide public participation across four venues, with over 0.4 crores
nd nd
devotees in attendance. The second exposition was undertaken in Vietnam from 2 May to 2 June 2025,
where relics from Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh, were displayed at nine locations during Vesak
celebrations, drawing an estimated 1.8 crores visitors. These initiatives contributed to fostering cultural
linkages with the respective countries.
The Ministry of External Affairs has conveyed that, under the ASEAN-India cooperation framework, several
Southeast Asian countries have a significant Buddhist population. In this context, India is supporting ASEAN
in conducting a feasibility study for the development of an ASEAN Cultural Heritage List. Additionally, a
yearly ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers’ Meeting is held to facilitate exchange of views and promote tourism
cooperation between member nations. The year 2025 has been designated as the ASEAN-India Year of
Tourism, and the Government of India has announced funding of USD 5 million from the ASEAN-India Fund
to support the related celebrations and initiatives.
Ministry of External Affairs has also informed that in a significant engagement aimed at enhancing spiritual
and cultural ties, a high-level Thai delegation has been on a visit to Gujarat from June 18, 2025 along-with
Indian delegates. Under the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Plan of Action (2019-24), Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA) organised a 9 days trip of travel agencies to prominent Buddhist sites for 50
nd
participants, (10 each from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam) from 2 June 2025 to
th
10 June 2025 on nomination basis in coordination with Government of Uttar Pradesh and Government of
Bihar.
International Tourism Mart (ITM) in Sikkim in 2025 is scheduled to have a component of business
networking between the travel stakeholders of the North Eastern region with the invited global buyers,
including the ASEAN countries.
Development and Promotion of tourist destinations and tourism products is primarily undertaken by the
respective State Government/ Union Territory (UT) Administration. However, the Ministry of Tourism
through its central sector schemes of ‘Swadesh Darshan(SD)’, Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0)’, ‘Challenge
Based Destination Development (CBDD)’ – a sub-scheme of Swadesh Darshan and ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation
and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)’ complements the efforts of tourism infrastructure
development by extending financial assistance to the State Governments/UT Administrations; subject to
availability of funds, adherence to scheme guidelines, submission of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) by the
State Government etc.
In addition, Government of India under its initiative for ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment
(SASCI)’ has also provided financial assistance to the States for development of tourism projects.
The details of the projects including Buddhist Heritage sites sanctioned under SD, SD2.0, CBDD, PRASHAD
and SASCI schemes is annexed.
This information was given by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a
written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
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Sunil Kumar Tiwaritourism4pib[at]gmail[dot]com
(Release ID: 2147794)