Lok Sabha Question No. 313 (STARRED), answered on 2025-08-11
Subject: Promotion of Tourism at Buddhist Sites
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Shri Jagdambika Pal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *313 ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025

## PROMOTION OF TOURISM AT BUDDHIST SITES

## *313.   SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  steps  to  promote domestic  and  international  tourism  in  Buddhist  cultural  and historical sites like Piprahwa in Siddharthnagar district, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the total number of domestic and international tourists  visited  Siddharthnagar  district  during  the  last  five years and the current year;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  steps  to  promote cross-border tourism between the Buddhist cultural and heritage  sites  like  Lumbini  in  Nepal  and  Siddharthnagar  in India;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  steps  to  connect Buddhist  cultural  and  heritage  sites  like  Sarnath,  Bodhgaya, Vaishali and Shravasti; and
- (e)
- if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (e):

A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. *******

STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*313 ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025 REGARDING PROMOTION OF TOURISM AT BUDDHIST SITES RAISED BY SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL

(a): The  Ministry  of  Tourism  regularly  promotes  diverse  tourist destinations  and  experiences  of  India  including  Buddhist  sites  of Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Vaishali and Shravasti through various initiatives including promotional  events, participation in travel exhibitions and fairs in domestic and international markets, familiarization  tours,  influencers  programmes,  assistance  to  State Governments/Union  Territories  for  organizing  fairs  and  festivals, website, amplification through social media handles etc.

(b): The details of tourist footfall in Siddharthnagar district during the last five years are as follows:

| Year   | DTVs      | FTVs   | Total     |
|--------|-----------|--------|-----------|
| 2024   | 100595    | 17546  | 118141    |
| 2023   | 392516    | 11797  | 404313    |
| 2022   | 222289    | 109    | 222398    |
| 2021   | 370975    | 90     | 371065    |
| 2020   | 505801    | 4924   | 510725    |
| Total  | 15,92,176 | 34,466 | 16,26,642 |

(c) to (e): The Ministry of Tourism regularly engages with neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka under the framework of international tourism cooperation, with a focus on promoting tourism including Buddhist tourism.

The  Government  has  taken  significant steps to improve connectivity  across  Buddhist  cultural  and  heritage  sites  in  the country including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The international airport at Kushinagar has enhanced direct air connectivity for international pilgrims. Lumbini in Nepal is connected to Siddharthnagar in India through NH-233. The Buddhist heritage and pilgrimage sites such as Bodh-Gaya, Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda etc are well-connected through a network of National Highways developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) /Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

The  Ministry  of  Railways  also  operates  theme  based  tourist circuit trains covering Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Lumbini and Sharavasti.

Additionally,  the  Ministry  of  Tourism  under  its  Schemes  of Swadesh Darshan, Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual,  Heritage Augmentation  Drive  (PRASHAD),  Assistance  to  Central  Agencies, Challenge  Based  Destination  Development  (CBDD)  and  Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) has sanctioned several projects to develop tourism infrastructure and amenities, in the country including at Buddhist tourism sites. The details of the projects sanctioned under these schemes for promotion of tourism at Buddhist sites are at Annexure.

*****

ANNEXURE

STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (c)  TO  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*313 ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025 REGARDING PROMOTION OF TOURISM AT BUDDHIST SITES RAISED BY SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL

Details of the  Projects sanctioned under the schemes of Swadesh Darshan, Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation  Drive  (PRASHAD),  Assistance  to  Central  Agencies, Challenge  Based  Destination  Development  (CBDD),  and  Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) for promotion of tourism at Buddhist sites

|   S. No. | State/UT       | Name of the Scheme / Sanction Year   | Name of the Project                                                                                              |   Amount Sanctioned (₹ in Crore) |
|----------|----------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh | Swadesh Darshan (SD) / 2017-18       | Development of Buddhist Circuit: Shalihundam- Bavikonda- Bojjanakonda - Amravati- Anupu                          |                            35.24 |
|        2 | Andhra Pradesh | PRASHAD / 2015-16                    | Mahachaitya Stupa & ASI Museum (Under 'Development of Amaravati Town, Guntur District as a Tourist Destination') |                             0.6  |
|        3 | Andhra Pradesh | PRASHAD / 2015-16                    | Dhyana Buddha Site Development (Under 'Development of Amaravati Town, Guntur District as a Tourist Destination') |                             0.7  |
|        4 | Andhra Pradesh | Challenge Based                      | Enriching Buddhist Heritage                                                                                      |                            25    |

|    |                | Destination Development / 2024-25   | and Cultural Experiences at Nagarjuna Sagar                                                                          |        |
|----|----------------|-------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------|
|  5 | Bihar          | Swadesh Darshan / 2016-17           | Development of Buddhist Circuit- Construction of Convention Centre at Bodhgaya                                       |  95.18 |
|  6 | Bihar          | Swadesh Darshan 2.0 / 2024-25       | Development of Buddhist Circuit- Construction of Convention Centre at Bodhgaya                                       | 165.44 |
|  7 | Chhattisgarh   | PRASHAD / 2020-21                   | Development of Prayagiri (Under 'Development of Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple, Rajnandgaon, Dongargarh, Chhattisgarh') |   5.55 |
|  8 | Gujarat        | Swadesh Darshan / 2017-18           | Development of Junagadh- Gir Somnath- Bharuch-Kutch- Bhavnagar- Rajkot- Mehsana                                      |  26.68 |
|  9 | Madhya Pradesh | Swadesh Darshan / 2016-17           | Development of Sanchi-Satna- Rewa-Mandsaur- Dhar                                                                     |  74.02 |
| 10 | Sikkim         | PRASHAD / 2020-21                   | Development of Pilgrimage Facilitation at Four Patron Saints at Yuksom, Sikkim                                       |  33.32 |
| 11 | Uttar          | Swadesh                             | Development of                                                                                                       |  87.89 |

|    | Pradesh   | Darshan / 2016-17                                            | Srawasti, Kushinagar, & Kapilwastu                                                                                                                                   |       |
|----|-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------|
| 12 | Pradesh   | PRASHAD / 2015-16                                            | Sound and Light Show, Dhamek Stupa (Under 'Development of Varanasi-Phase-I')                                                                                         |  7.34 |
| 13 | Pradesh   | PRASHAD /2015-16                                             | Buddha Theme Park, Sarnath (Under 'Development of Varanasi-Phase-I')                                                                                                 |  2.2  |
| 14 | Pradesh   | Assistance to Central Agencies / 2014-15                     | Illumination of monuments in Varanasi/Sarnath Dhamekh Stupa in Sarnath, Chaukhandi Stupa in Sarnath, Tomb of Lal khan (Rajghat) in Sarnath and Man Mahal in Banaras) |  5.12 |
| 15 | Pradesh   | Assistance to Central Agencies / 2017-18                     | Illumination of three monuments in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh                                                                                                           |  2.93 |
| 16 | Pradesh   | Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment/ 2024-25 | 'Integrated Buddhist Tourism Development in Shrawasti                                                                                                                | 80.24 |
| 17 | Telangana | Challenge Based Destination Development / 2024-25            | Digital Experience Centre at Buddhavanam in Nalgonda,'                                                                                                               | 24.85 |