BODHGAYA, India — In a historic first for the world’s most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site, Bodhgaya will host an inaugural Buddha Arts Festival from January 30 to February 1, 2026. Organized by the Mahabodhi Society of India in partnership with the Lotus Communication Network and Kolkata’s Attodeep, the festival is a bold attempt to build a pan-Asian youth Buddhist art network centered in the town where the Buddha attained enlightenment.



The event will be held at the Mahabodhi Society of India Center, directly opposite the iconic Mahabodhi Temple. Its core mission is to use contemporary cultural expressions—from dance theatre to street performance—to engage a new generation with the Dharma.

“Today, youth worldwide yearn for fellowship, cooperation, and peace,” said Dr. Kalinga Seneviratne, founder of the Australia-registered Lotus Communication Network. “This festival uses cultural media that attracts youth to present the Buddha’s peaceful message, which is profoundly relevant to the 21st century.”

The festival was conceived about a year ago following a meeting in Kolkata between Ven. Seevalee Thera, General Secretary of the Mahabodhi Society, Dr. Seneviratne, and Buddhist cultural activist Madhusree Chowdhury of Attodeep. The organizers strategically timed the event to coincide with Bodhgaya’s annual exposition of the Sacred Relics of the Buddha and his chief disciples, Sariputta and Maha Moggalana.


A Tapestry of Performance and Participation

The inaugural lineup promises a vibrant mix of tradition and innovation. Highlights include:

Attodeep’s acclaimed dance theatre productions Buddhacarika and Avisar, the latter based on a Kashmiri poet’s work translated by Rabindranath Tagore.

Sri Lankan temple drumming and dances performed by artists flown in specifically for the event.

Performances by the Sandani Rangana Troupe from Shantiniketan, led by Sri Lankan artist Chandani Katuri, presenting Sri Lankan and Hindi Buddhist songs and dances.

Cultural offerings from local monastic schools, featuring Tibetan, Nepali, and Vietnamese songs.

A key component is a half-day street theatre workshop run by Attodeep for students of the Mahabodhi School in Bodhgaya. The organizers hope these students will perform newly learned Buddhist-themed theatre in Sujata Village and near local monasteries during the festival.



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Building Community on a Budget

Notably, the festival is being launched with minimal resources. “We are organizing this with almost no budget,” Dr. Seneviratne admitted. While unable to fly in many interested overseas artists this year, the Mahabodhi Society is covering local transport and hosting artists from Kolkata and Shantiniketan for five days.

Looking ahead, the organizers plan to establish this as an annual event. Dr. Seneviratne expressed a desire to explore a dedicated Buddhist Art Festival Fund to support future festivals, potentially covering travel for young international artists who could not otherwise participate.

The long-term vision is to cultivate a lasting Buddhist cultural community in Bodhgaya, complementing the site’s profound spiritual services with dynamic artistic energy led by and for the youth of Asia.