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Vietnamese PM Prays at Bodh Gaya, Says Buddhism Binds Both Countries
NDTV, October 28, 2014
Patna, India -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited Bodh Gaya on Monday and prayed at the Mahabodhi temple, Buddhism's holiest shrine.
<< Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (C) in Bodhgaya. (Agence France-Presse)
Prime Minister Dung, who is in India on a two-day visit, also circumambulated the ancient Mahabodhi tree under which the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment.
Mantras of the Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism schools were chanted in Vietnamese as well in deference to Prime Minister Dung and his wife Tran Thanh Kiem.
After the prayers, Prime Minister Dung said that Buddhism binds India and Vietnam together.
He also proposed that there should be direct flights between Bodh Gaya and Hanoi, and sought visa-on-arrival facility for Vietnamese saying it would boost the number of Buddhist pilgrims to the site.
Earlier, the Vietnamese leader arrived at the Buddhist pilgrimage town of Bodh Gaya on a day-long visit.
Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi welcomed Prime Minister Dung at the Gautam Buddha International Airport near Bodh Gaya.
Ahead of the visit, Vietnam's Ambassador Thanh Tan Saturday visited Patna and met Mr Manjhi.
The 1,500-year-old Buddhist shrine in Bodh Gaya, some 110 km from Patna, is where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment about 2,550 years ago.
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