UP Tourism to Launch Bodhi Yatra for Mekong-Ganga Countries in June

The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department will launch a ‘Bodhi Yatra’ from 2-7 June 2025, which will take tourists to the site associated with Lord Buddha. The Department has organised the Bodi Yartra for the delegates of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation member countries of Thailand, Cambodia. Lao PDR, Vietnam and Myanmar.

The schedule of the Bodhi Yatra was announced by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism and Culture Minister, Jaiveer Singh.

Schedule of the Bodhi Yatra and the Sites 

The Bodhi Yatra will include 10 delegates each from Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

• The Yatra will start on 2 June 2025  and conclude on 7th June at Sarnath.
• The 50-member delegation will visit six sites associated with Lord Buddha: Shravasti, Kushinagar, Kapilvastu, Sarnath, and Varanasi. 
• They will also visit the state capital, Lucknow, where the museum has over 1200 Buddhist artefacts, oil and Thangka paintings, seals, etc.
• They will also visit Agra to see the world-famous Taj Mahal.
• From Uttar Pradesh, they will visit Bihar to visit the Buddhist sites in the state.

Objective of the Bodhi Yatra 

The 50-member delegation includes travel agents, social media influencers, and Buddhist monks.

• The inclusion of travel agents and influencers will help promote Uttar Pradesh as a major destination of the international Buddhist circuit.
• It will also showcase the State’s rich Buddhist heritage and archaeological sites to the world.
• It will also deepen cultural relations between India and these five Southeast Asian countries.

About the UP Buddhist Circuit Sites

The six major sites which has been developed under the Buddhist Tourism Circuit in Uttar Pradesh are as follows:

Kapilvastu—Siddhartha Gautama, who later became Lord Buddha after enlightenment in Gaya, Bihar, spent the first 29 years of his life here.

Sarnath - Near Varanasi, where Buddha gave his first sermon to five disciples after attaining enlightenment

Shravasti - Buddha’s favourite rainy-season retreat, where he spent  25 Chaturmasas.  Buddha performed his first miracle.

Sankisa - Lord Buddha descended from Trayastrimsa heaven after teaching dharma to his mother

Kuashamabhi - remnants of ancient Buddhist monasteries and fortifications.

Kushinagar—Lord Buddha gave his last sermon here and died. In Buddhism, his death is known as Mahaparinirvana (final liberation).

Mekong-Ganga Cooperation

The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation was established in November 2000 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The grouping was initially called the Ganga Suvarnabhumi Programme (GMSP).

It seeks to promote cooperation between civilisations that have flourished along the Ganga River (India) and the Mekong River (Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam). Lao PDR, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

The Ganga-Mekong Cooperation seeks to promote cooperation in four fields: tourism, Communications, education and transport.

Members - SIX: India, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, and Myanmar.