Patna: About 5,000 battle-weary troops from the British army deployed in wars against terrorists in various troubled countries for months will come to the holy land of Buddha in Bihar in search of peace. The troops are currently deployed in countries, such as, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.
Authorities in the state tourism department said these British troops would be reaching Bodh Gaya — the holiest of the holy places for Buddhists across the globe where Buddha reached enlightenment in the sixth century BC — in groups, accompanied by their family members. They will be reaching Bodh Gaya from January this year by a special plane and will also be visiting other places related to Buddha.
Officials said the troops who will be reaching Bodh Gaya in groups of 100-125 will visit the mythological Mahabodhi temple and meditate under the serene environment of the historic structure which was included in Unesco World Heritage Site in June 2002.
“During the recent World Tourism Mart in London where Bihar too was a participant, the British Royal Army officials approached us and offered to send their troops to Bodh Gaya for meditative courses. We have granted permission for this,” Bihar tourism minister Sunil Kumar Pintu said. He added that he had granted permission to the British Army personnel to sit under the Bodhi tree and meditate.
According to the tourism minister, his department had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the British Royal Army in this regard. He said the British Royal Army would bear all costs incurred in a 10-day tour of Buddhist places by the troops. During the tour, the troops will stay in Bodh Gaya for seven days and in the remaining days they will visit other places of Buddhist interest, including Sarnath and Rajgir.
According to reports, battle-weary troops are turning to Buddhism for comfort and this trend has picked up momentum since 2005. According to a report published in a British daily, since 2005 the number of servicemen and women practising the religion has risen from 200 to 3,800. Reports said around 2,800 are Gurkhas, whose home nation Nepal has pockets of Buddhism, but the other 1,000 are British, with many converting after joining the military.
