Special Officer-Buddhavanam Mallepalli Laxmaiah met the Dalai Lama at his office in Dharamshala on Monday and extended an invitation to the Tibetan spiritual leader to visit the Buddhist heritage theme park developed by the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation, at Nagarjunasagar in Nalgonda district.

Mr.Laxmaiah briefed Dalai Lama about Buddhavanam, which has been developed on 274 acres and showcases glimpses from the life of Buddha, his previous lives (Jataka stories) in bronze and stone, encased with more than 1,200 sculptural panels and 13 miniature stupas of India and South East Asian countries, to preserve and propagate Buddha’s teachings and Buddhist culture.

To the invitation, Dalai Lama responded positively and said, “I will try to come to Buddhavanam”.

Mr. Laxmaiah presented a Buddhavanam-themed memento to the Dalai Lama and reminded him about his planting a sapling of the holy Bodhi tree brought from Bodhgaya at Buddhavanam during his tour to Kalachakra Mahasammelan in January 2006.