Nitish Kumar unveils 70-feet tall Buddha statue in Bihar's Rajgir

Amid the chants of vedic hymns, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday unveiled a 70-feet tall Buddha statue at Rajgir in Nalanda district. The statue of Lord Buddha, one of the largest Buddha statues in the country, was unveiled in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi and other BJP-JDU coalition leaders. The statue is made of 45,000 cubic foot pink sandstone and installed above 16-meter pedestal in the lake Ghora Katora. Kumar, along with Sushil Modi and Mahabodhi temple's chief monk Bhante Chalinda took a boat ride to reach the statue in the middle of the Ghora Katora lake and offered prayers.

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"Ghora Katora lake is a historical place. It is a natural lake surrounded by five hills where Lord Buddha's statue has been installed. People will visit the lake where they can also have the privilege of offering their prayers to Lord Buddha," the Bihar chief minister told reporters after the launch.

In a bid to attract more tourists, he further said that a park will be developed at the site which is surrounded by five hills. The chief minister also said that only electric vehicles will be allowed to ply there.

"A beautiful park is being developed here from the tourism point of view...I am quite confident that Ghora Katora will emerge as an important place for eco-tourism...No petrol and diesel vehicles will be allowed to ply here as only electronic vehicles will ply here. People can visit this particular area either on their foot, or by using bicycles and tongas," he said.

Explaining the religious significance of the place, Kumar said that the site is associated with all the major religions, including Sikhism. It is being claimed that Guru Nanak Dev had also visited this place.

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People belonging to the Sikh community had expressed their desire for building a "Gurudwara" near "Guru Nanak Shital Kund" and the same will be completed by the end of the year.