4 October 2022, NIICE Commentary 8310
Binu Joseph
Once, Gautam Buddha said, “In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength”. In a larger sense, the word connotes that the world must come together to overcome the common problems that obstruct progress and friendliness among countries. The multifaceted relationship between India and Nepal has evolved since the ancient eras, and it continues and strengthens in many ways. One of the significant aspects of India-Nepal relations is religion. Considering religion as a cultural entity, it has been gaining more relevance in India-Nepal bilateral affairs in recent decades. Hinduism is the predominant religion in India and Nepal. However, in bilateral affairs, Buddhism stands as a potent factor that binds both countries. According to the 2011 census, only 0.71 percent of India’s population represents the Buddhist community. And whereas in Nepal, 9 percent of its population is represented by the Buddhist community. Despite the relatively lower proportion of Buddhist citizens, India has adopted Buddhism as one of the finest instruments of soft power in order to enhance bilateral relations with Nepal in line with Buddhist heritage linkages.
Since Narendra Modi’s government assumed office in 2014, several drastic changes have been made in India’s diplomatic strategies, especially to uphold India’s cultural spirit in diplomatic affairs. And such cultural elements are also turning out to be one of the core aspects of smoothening India-Nepal relations. In India-Nepal bilateral relations, an unprecedented development can also be seen after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India, and one of those developments was his keen interest in conducting high-level official visits to Nepal. During his tenure in the office until now, he made five official visits to Nepal. No other Prime Minister of India has made such a number of official visits to that India’s Himalayan neighbouring country. That shows the real significance that India has given to Nepal’s affairs in recent times.
Buddhist Diplomacy
Buddhism is not a novel strategic foreign policy doctrine of India, and Buddhist doctrines have already been part of India’s foreign policy principles since its formation. India’s one of the ideals of foreign policy doctrine is “the mutual respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty”, and it has much indebted to the ideals of Buddhism. The promotion of international peace and security is also one of the cardinal principles of India’s foreign policy. India has been practising Buddhist diplomacy since the Nehruvian era of its foreign policy. However, recently, more weightage has been given to it. There can be seen some reasons behind India’s embracement of Buddhism as a strategic choice in diplomatic affairs. As a religious movement, Buddhism originated in India, though he was born in Nepal. Therefore, India is also a land of many sacred Buddhist sites. More than that, India is a country that protects and grants asylum to the head monk and spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, and in Dharamshala, the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile is also functioning. And such factors bolstered India’s image at a global level as a country that is tolerant of and venerates Buddhism.
Nepal-India Buddhist Ties
Regarding India’s engagement with Nepal, India considers Buddhism as one of the effective soft power instruments with primaeval socio-cultural linkages between the two countries. India is primarily concerned with two distinct goals: first, reconnecting ancient cultural ties; and second, assisting in the construction and renovation of Buddhist heritage sites in Nepal. In 1986, India took up an initial action plan for the Buddhist circuit development, which included identifying various relics of Buddha and improving the connectivity facilities that link the various Buddhist holy sites. However, the project has been more rejuvenated in recent times, especially under Modi’s government. In 2014, during the visit of the Indian prime minister to Nepal, India and Nepal signed an agreement to promote spiritual tourism between the two countries, and that included the connectivity of the holy Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the two countries. In the agreement, it is stated that “Besides holiday, adventure and mountaineering tourism, immense scope exists in developing spiritual tourist circuits, such as the Buddhist Circuit (Lumbini-Bodh Gaya-Sarnath-Kushinagar)”. Besides, a Joint Working Group has also been constituted for addressing and implementing the project. With the World Bank’s technical assistance, the Buddhist circuit is an initiative of transportation connectivity between the two countries in the footsteps of Buddha, and it begins from Lumbini in Nepal (where Buddha was born), through Bodh Gaya in Bihar (where Buddha attained enlightenment), Sarnath in Utter Pradesh (where Buddha preached his first sermon), and Kushinagar in Utter Pradesh (where Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana). In addition, the Buddhist sites of Sravasti and Sankasia in Uttar Pradesh, and Rajgir and Vaishali in Bihar are also included because these sites are related to significant life events of Buddha. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi was also gifted a Bodhi tree sapling for planting at Lumbini, which was collected from Bodh Gaya, Bihar.
In 2016, the government of India sanctioned INR 3.6 billion for the development of the Buddhist circuit project as part one of the fifteen thematic circuits under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, and it covered the development of various infrastructures at Buddhist sites in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.
Another notable engagement of India in Nepal is the infrastructure development of various Buddhist sites. With India’s financial assistance, many Buddhist sites have been renovated and reconstructed in Nepal in the last few years. Some of the projects are: The Tashop (Tare) Gompa Monastery in Kathmandu (worth INR 26.28 million), The Ganga Pokhari and Shree Mahanyan Boudha Samaj Gumba in Lalitpur district (worth 40.76 million), The Pal Ewam Namgyal Monastic School in Chhonhup, Mustang district (worth INR 23.4 million) and The Chhyoiphel Kundeling Monastery in Lisankhu, Sindhupalchok district (worth INR 11.83 million).
The Indian Prime Minister’s recent visit to Nepal in May 2022 was also a remarkable event in strengthening Buddhist ties between the two countries. The Prime Minister visited Nepal on the day of Buddha Purnima. While addressing a gathering in Lumbini, Modi said that “The devotion to Lord Buddha binds us together, makes us members of one family”. And during the visit, the Indian Prime Minister, along with the Nepalese Prime Minister, performed the ‘Shilanyaas ceremony’ (inception ceremony) for constructing the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone of Nepal. The centre is envisioned as a world-class Net-Zero facility with prayer halls, a meditation centre, a library, an exhibition hall, a cafeteria, and other amenities open to Buddhist pilgrims and tourists. Besides, Prime Minister Modi announced a grant of USD 15 million to promote Buddhist ties.
India is looking forward to Buddhist diplomacy as the most sophisticated soft power means to build more trust between the two countries. It is a fact that hyper-Nepali nationalism fuels anti-Indian sentiments in many parts of Nepal on many occasions. India’s focus is also to overcome such a menace through close engagement and to increase confidence in bilateral affairs. The recent flare-up between the two countries over territorial disputes regarding the issue of Nepal’s new political map has created a slight rift in bilateral affairs. However, the recent visit by Indian Prime Minister Modi on the day of Buddha Purnima offers great optimism for improving collaboration in newer realms. As a part of track two diplomacy, India’s initiative of Buddhist cooperation can further solidify people-to-people linkages across the border.
Binu Joseph is a Research Scholar at Department of Politics and International Studies, Pondicherry University, India.
