The ASEAN-India Car Rally which was flagged off from Yogyakarta in Indonesia on November 26 is slated to enter India through India-Myanmar border.

Apart from his discussions with his Myanmarese counterpart U Wunna Maung Lwin, he will call on the President of Myanmar Thein Sein at Nay Pyi Taw. President Thein Sein is likely to visit New Delhi for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit on December 20. Hence the Indian External Affairs Minister’s visit is a precursor to those discussions.

As per decision taken by both India and Myanmar during the visit of President Thien Sein to India in October 2011, an International Conference on Buddhist Cultural Heritage is being organised from December 15 to 17 in Yangon. The inauguration of the main conference would be held in Sitagu International Buddhist Academy (SIBA) in Yangon at around 0830 hrs on December 15. The Chief Guest at inauguration of conference would be Vice President of Myanmar U Sai Mauk,while the Guest of Honour would be the Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
For this auspicious occasion India has presented a Sarnath Buddha statue which will be formally inaugurated at the Shwedagon Pagoda on December 16.

Khurshid will also visit the Anandi Temple which is being restored with the assistance of the Archaeological Survey of India.

The Joint Statement issued during the State visit of the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to Myanmar in May 2012, had said “The two leaders welcomed the preparations that have been made towards organizing the International Conference on Buddhist Heritage in Myanmar in December 2012 with the cooperation of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, Ministry of Religious Affairs of Myanmar and the Sitagu International Buddhist Academy (SIBA).”

The Conference will dwell on the Buddhist heritage shared by mankind, a heritage that transcends man-made borders of country, region and language. It is expected to be attended by around 19 renowned Buddhist scholars from India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and UK.

Besides the presentation of papers by scholars, there will also be exhibition of Buddhist heritage sites and the unveiling of the Sarnath style Buddha statue in the premises of the Shwedagon Pagoda, a premier of Buddhist feature films, and Cultural Programmes where India and Myanmar cultural troupes would perform at the National Theatre on the evening December 15 which includes dance-drama, musical performance and a play on the life of the Buddha by a renowned Indian Odissi group.