Buddha Smriti Park or Buddha Memorial Park in Patna is an important centre of religious tourism in Bihar, India. A 22-acre park, located on Frazer Road near the Patna Railway Junction, has been developed by the Bihar Government to commemorate the 2554th birth anniversary of the Buddha.

Reverently built at a cost of Rupees 125 Crore (19.13 million USD), the park was inaugurated by the Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Laureate Dalai Lama on May 27, 2010 in the presence of Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar. The design of this marvelous park has been prepared by architect Vikram Lall of Lall and Associates, a Delhi based architectural firm.

Image courtesy of Rishavsr        

During the last seven years, Buddha Memorial Park has emerged as a modern centre of excellence for understanding the life and teachings of Buddha. It is a must-visit destination for inquisitive people of all faiths and religions.

Ingeniously designed campus comprises Patliputra Karuna Stupa, a meditation centre, a library, a museum and a Park of Memories. Of all these, Patliputra Karuna Stupa is the most dominant structure in the Smriti Park. This circular-shaped building with a towering height of 200 feet occupies the most prominent central place in the park.

Image courtesy of Satyendra Thakur

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The building of Patliputra Karuna Stupa is a pleasant blend of tradition and modernity. The built-form is perfectly in sync with the theme of the Buddha Smriti Park. 

The circular building is accessible through a series of ascending ramps which take the visitors to a plaza at the highest level of the building. From here one enters the main circular hall with structural glazing all around and wooden flooring in concentric fashion.

Image courtesy of Satyendra Thakur

Image courtesy of Shivamsetu

Image courtesy of Satyendra Thakur

In the centre of the hall, there is a glass enclosure in which relic of the Buddha has been kept. It is pertinent to mention here that that the relic displayed here is one amongst the eight original relics excavated from Vaishali. 

A tiny golden statute of the sitting Buddha is kept along with the pot containing the relic. The central hall is crowned with a gigantic dome which rises in the sky and provide a magnificent view from all parts of the park.

Image courtesy of Piyush Singh

The meditation centre in the park consists of 60 air-conditioned cells, each having a viewing window towards the Patliputra Karuna Stupa. The idea of the meditation centre is said to has been derived from the plans of the monasteries in the ancient Mahavihara of Nalanda. The meditation centre also consists of a library having books Buddhism along with a large audio-visual hall.

Another attraction of the Buddha Memorial Park is the museum building. The free-flowing form of the building has been derived from India's ancient cave monasteries. The museum showcases the life and times of Buddha through original artifacts, 3-D models, audio-visual medium and multimedia presentations. The magnificent building of the museum was inaugurated by Princess Ashi Kesang Wangmo Wangchuk of Bhutan on September 13, 2013.

Image courtesy of angel.co

Image courtesy of angel.co

Image courtesy of angel.co

The Park of Memories is yet another attraction of the campus. It is a nicely landscaped and open space designed to have votive stupas from countries across the world, each designed in the architectural pattern representative of the specific country. The Park of Memories symbolically represents the dispersion of Buddhism from Bihar to various regions of the world.

Image courtesy of Piyush Singh

Every year thousands of tourists  from countries like Japan, Myanmar, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and India visit this place for solace and enlightenment. At the time of its inauguration Dalai Lama rightly said, "I hope this park will become a source of inspiration for everybody, following any religion or atheist, to develop compassion and love."

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> via Urban Development and Housing Department/Bihar