The monks brought materials remains of a holy person "Buddha Dhatu" from Sri Lanka to distant Nabincherra village of Pecharthal in North Tripura to build the highest Buddha statue of South East Asia.
Social Welfare Minister of Tripura Santana Chakma who belongs to Buddhist community and represented Pecharthal constituency said that work for construction of 108 feet high Buddha statue is progressing in a war footing, which will be the highest such structure in this region of Asia.
"Our government has given emphasis to boost tourism in a time-bound manner and all the existing tourist spots are getting a facelift, infrastructures are improved at international standard and we are exploring more natural sites for tourists. The Buddhist statue is one of such community-led initiative," she stated.
In Buddhist beliefs, the holy materials of Lord Buddha remain with the holy man Sri Lanka, one of the countries where Buddhism is practised predominantly. Recently, a team of Buddhist monks along with Sulekha Thay Kumbare, member National Commission for Minority government of India visited the spot and met Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Barma to assess the progress of the construction.
Santana further stated that near the upcoming statue of Lord Buddha, the state tourism department has found out a mesmerizing waterfall at Nabincherra and the department has been developing it. Moreover, community-led eco-tourism initiatives have also been undertaken to make the area an attractive point for international tourists.
"In the eastern side of Pecharthal, we have Jampui Hill ? known as Switzerland of northeast having beautiful habitation in the lap of Lushai hills and on the northwest it has Unokoti archaeological site, famous for huge-rock cut sculptures of Lord Shiva made during the 15th century. With the Buddha statue and falls, North Tripura is expected to be the most favoured destinations for tourists," she added.