Buddhist temple at Kuakata gets back its luster

Sofiqul Islam Lenin, KUAKATA, Apr 2: The renovation work of ‘Misripara Seema Budda Bihar’, an ancient Buddhist temple near Kuakata, has been over. German government funded in the renovation which brought back the luster of the temple.

Charge d’Affaires of the German Embassy in Dhaka Dr Ferdinand von Weyhe and his spouse Josephine von Weyhe on Wednesday morning inaugurated the renovated temple.

Country Director of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Tobias Becker and Principal Advisor of the Coastal Livelihoods Adaptation Project (CLAP), GIZ Dr Purnima Doris Chattopadhayay-Dutt were also present.

The temple of the Buddhist Rakhine community, which has the largest Buddha statue in Bangladesh, is a major tourist attraction in the Kuakata area.  

German government provided around Tk 34 lakh for the renovation of the temple premises, which were severely damaged by cyclone Sidr in 2007 and cyclone Aila in 2009.
 
Around a third of the amount, Tk 9.5 lakh, came directly from the German Embassy. This amount was topped up by GIZ, the implementing organization of the German Development Cooperation, which provided the remaining funds.
 
The rehabilitation project was coordinated by the Coastal Livelihoods Adaptation Project (CLAP) of GIZ, together with its partner NGO Resource Development Foundation (RDF).

Tobias Becker said the renovation of the temple premises, which are situated in one of the prime tourist destinations of Bangladesh, will not only help to preserve the country’s cultural heritage, but also contribute to the development of the local economy.

Expressing his satisfaction after seeing the renovated temple complex, Dr von Weyhe said: “When the Ambassador and his wife visited this temple more than a year ago, it was in a bad shape. It was raining through the roof, and the site was unprotected. So, we decided to renovate this precious site of worship which stands as a symbol of the multi-religious heritage of Bangladesh.”

He said the renovated temple was scheduled to be inaugurated by the German Ambassador in Bangladesh Albrecht Conze. But he was unable to make it as he fell sick.

Dr von Weyhe also expressed his hope that the renovation will ensure the safety and preservation of this ancient temple complex for a long time to come.

risingbd/Augustin Sujan