Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t5.5

v1.c7.s3.t5.5

In 1997, the Religious Affairs Bureau of Luoyang made an overall planning for the White Horse Temple. It was decided to build a “International Buddhist Monastery Hall” in the western side of the temple building. In April 2005, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh signed the memorandum of “India’s Indian-style Buddhist Hall in the White Horse Temple in Luoyang, China.” In April 26, 2006, the groundbreaking ceremony of the construction was held at the White Horse Temple. On May 29, 2010, the hall was officially inaugurated with the then President of India, Pratibha Patil, attending the inauguration ceremony. The hall is located in the western side facing the east, it is around 100 m long from east to west and stretches around 60 m in width from north to south. It occupies a construction area of about 3,450 sq m, the main building is about 30 m high, inside is enshrined a Buddha statue up to 4.5 m high. This resembles India’s World Heritage Site of Sanchi Stupa in its design and construction. The Indian Government sponsored a fund of Rs 50 million for the completion of the Hall, it is the first overseas Buddhist hall construction funded by the Indian Government.