New Delhi[India], December 4: The 4th Mekong-Ganga Dhamma Yatra, a significant pilgrimage connecting India and Southeast Asia, will begin on December 6 with a briefing at The Chaupal, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) here.
The event, which marks the ongoing "Century of Dhamma," will see the Thai Ambassador to India, Pattarat Hongtong, grace the occasion as the Chief Guest. The gathering will also feature Sachidanand Joshi, Member Secretary of IGNCA, and Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC).
This year's pilgrimage follows the theme 'From the Mekong River Basin to the Great Ganga', a journey that underscores the deep cultural and spiritual ties between the civilizations of Southeast Asia and India. The pilgrimage, taking place from December 2 to December 10, covers key Buddhist sites including Patna, Bodh Gaya, New Delhi, and Gujarat, and aims to promote peace, environmental awareness, and conflict avoidance through the teachings of the Buddha.
The 4th Dhamma Yatra commemorates the 97th birth anniversary of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and celebrates the vision of the 'Asian Century with Dhamma Principles' as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015. It also reflects the ongoing efforts to unite countries through the shared values of Dhamma, transcending geopolitical, religious, and cultural differences.
The Declaration on Dhamma Century will be presented on December 5, 2024, outlining a collective vision for peace, understanding, and prosperity grounded in Dhamma principles. This initiative is a collaboration between several Indian and Thai organizations, including the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), the International Center for Cultural Studies (ICCS), and the Royal Thai Embassy.
India's bilateral relations with Thailand are rooted in history, age-old social and cultural interactions and extensive people to people contacts. The shared link of Buddhism is reflected in regular pilgrimages to places of Buddhist interest in India by a large number of Thai people, the Ministry of External Affairs noted in a press statement.