NEW DELHI, India, July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- World's 20^th Ashoka Stupa Found and Restored to its Former Glory

- His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa Installs World's Largest Buddha Statue

Drukpa Buddhists, led by the spiritual Head, His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa (HHGD) have completed the mammoth task of restoring the sacred historic Buddhist site at Nangchen, China. The restoration and beautification process had been on for the past 5 years under adverse climatic conditions. His Holiness oversaw this colossal work of restoration, done completely out of the efforts of the masters, disciples and sponsors of the Drukpa Lineage. The restored site was inaugurated by His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120723/543830 )

Also known as Gomde or the "Abode of meditators", Nangchen has produced generations of Dharma Kings, exemplary scholars and amazingly qualified monks, yogis and practitioners, mostly belonging to the Drukpa Buddhist Order.

HHGD established the Buddha Amitabha Statue at this historical site during this apolitical, purely cultural visit to Nangchen. The statue is world's largest, and made entirely with a mixture of gold and bronze.  The visit to China will help in connecting and bringing the two worlds of India and China closer. He was accompanied by a large delegation comprising Buddhist dignitaries and cultural champions from India and abroad, including Dr. BK Modi, Mr. Arjun Pandey and Michelle Yeoh.

The visit embodies the spirit of Live to Love: building bridges and working together to create a better world, while carrying the message of "World Peace, Harmony and Prosperity."

The restored site also houses the Ashoka Stupa, one of the 84,000 built by Ashoka the Great more than 2000 years ago. The Ashoka Stupas have tremendous historical significance - the Indian Emblem is an adaptation of the lion capital derived from the Ashoka Stupa at Sarnath (India), and the 'chakra' in the Indian flag too has been derived from the Ashoka Stupa. Historically, the Stupas are symbolic of the expanse and influence of the empire of King Ashoka, who is credited with the propagation of Buddhism across Asia.

His Holiness also took this opportunity to visit the refugees of the earthquake that hit the region in April 2010, providing relief and encouragement

About Drukpa Buddhists

The Drukpa Buddhists follow the Mahayana Buddhist tradition in philosophy, i.e. the philosophy of "getting enlightened for the benefit of others". "Druk" in Tibetan means "Dragon" and it also refers to the sound of thunder.

Please visit: http://www.drukpa.org

For further press information please contact:Shreeya Roy, Live to Love, communications@drukpa.com, Mob: +91-9350335761

SOURCE Drukpa