CM’S walk through Veluwana

Veluvana- Lat- 25° 00’ 59.14”, N, Long- 85° 25’ 06.21”E)

Veluvana is the place where the tradition of Varsavaas started; it was devoted for the use of the Sangha by King Bimbisara and since then has witnessed many moments being turned into what we know as history today. This place being the hub of activities for several centuries holds immense potential for tourism. This place can be equally appealing for a regular visitor and the ones with the religious bent.

As per the Pali commentaries, the area of Veluvana was huge in comparison to its present spread. The Xuanzang travelogues describe Saptaparni cave situated amidst dense veluvana, and that reinforces the claimed suggested by Pali literatures. In last few centuries the land use has changed a lot and the dense forest cover in the area are now totally lost. It is the sincere hope of the community that with the renewed interest in the area and attention showered by the CM, the area would see a new dawn with restoration work and improved maintenance to these historic sites. This will help conserve the heritage and boost tourist flows while providing new avenues for livelihood opportunities. There have been discussions for developing the site further so that its original purpose could be restored and Buddhist monks can do Varsavaas here.

The veluvana is the site were the Varsavaas started and first 3 Varsavaas of Buddha happened here and it would be a unique tribute to the Buddha and the tradition if Veluvana is established again to serve its intended purpose.