Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that India is the birthplace and cradle of Buddhism.
Interacting with a delegation of high ranking monks of India, Sri Lanka and Tibet, Rijiju stated that the government will ensure the upkeep and maintenance of all archaeological sites in the country.
The Buddhist monks from India and Sri Lanka had on Wednesday started a two-day dialogue in New Delhi to discuss their respective spiritual traditions and values.
The monks held detailed discussion on several topics, ranging from the numbers of standardised offences in the code of conduct of the ordained Buddhist monk known as 'Bhikkhu' and his lifestyle.
The event witnessed the coming together of the Theravada tradition from Sri Lanka and the Nalanda tradition of Tibet, the first such meeting in 1300 years.
Among those present at the conference were Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and Samdhong Rinpoche, former prime minister of the Tibetan Government-in-exile.
