While the India-ASEAN trade review chugs along, and negotiators circle the text, the terrain is shifting. Buddhism is now not only integral to the Modi government’s cultural diplomacy with the ASEAN, but Indian states are stepping up with quiet, practical initiatives. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are writing their own ASEAN chapters—one charter flight, one festival, and one chanting ceremony at a time.

From December 2 to 13, 2025, Bodh Gaya in Bihar, where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, will host more than 20,000 monks, nuns, and lay devotees from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and beyond for the International Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony. The Tipitaka refers to the core Buddhist scriptures (Three Baskets). In a recent post on X, the Bihar Foundation’s Bangkok Chapter announced it had hosted the Food & Spirituality Show, 2025, to deepen cultural and tourism ties with Thailand, and launched a familiarisation trip for leading Thai travel operators to Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, and Rajgir, while showcasing Chhath Puja and Bihar School of Yoga. A new charter flight will soon link Phnom Penh with Bodh Gayā.

These are small, practical connections, but they matter.

India, the land of Buddha’s life and teachings, holds Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Rajgir, Nalanda, and the UNESCO-listed Mahabodhi Temple. Recent efforts—the touring of Buddhist sacred relics to Thailand, Kushinagar’s new airport, the Buddhist Circuit Train, and Nalanda’s revival—signal intent. Yet, the paradox endures: arrivals from........

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