In the initial phases of promoting Gujarat as a Buddhist destination, the Tourism Department has come up with a booklet on Buddha’s Footprints in Gujarat and documentary films, which will be widely circulated in various national and international circuits. “We have found traces of Buddhist heritage in Sabarkantha, Vadnagar, Junagadh, Rajkot, Kutch and Bharuch. We are planning to introduce packaged tours across the state especially focusing on Buddha’s trail. A pilgrimage for any Buddhist remains incomplete without a visit to Gujarat,” said Jay Narayan Vyas, minister of health and tourism on Monday.

The international seminar will be attended by the Dalai Lama, who will be in Vadodara with over 500 lamas to attend the programme. The programme will have approximately 4,000 visitors along with the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and Buddhist scholars from 15 countries such as Bhutan, Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Canada, Germany, the US and the UK.