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About the talk:

Bodhgaya, a key pilgrimage site for Buddhists worldwide, has long faced challenges in addressing its infrastructure and connectivity to accommodate the increasing influx of tourists and pilgrims. Despite its religious significance, the region has suffered from inadequate state-led development, which has limited its potential as a major spiritual hub. In recent years, however, Bodhgaya has witnessed a transformation driven by global religious networks, particularly through the establishment of world-class meditation centers, yoga retreats, wellness centers, spiritual training institutions, and monasteries. This research explores the role of international Buddhist networks in shaping Bodhgaya’s emergence as a global spiritual capital. By examining the inadequacies of state-driven infrastructure projects and the rise of privately funded religious initiatives, the research analyzes how the convergence of local spiritual traditions with the global wellness trends has contributed to the region’s development. The research highlights the dynamic intersection of religious networks, spiritual tourism, and infrastructural growth, offering insights into the evolving relationship between global Buddhism and regional development.

Speaker:

Siddharth Kumar is a research scholar at the Centre for Jawaharlal Nehru Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. His research examines the urban transformation of Bodhgaya through the lens of transnational Buddhist networks, spiritual entrepreneurship, and pilgrimage-led development. Grounded in ethnographic fieldwork, his work explores how global Buddhist institutions, wellness infrastructures, and heritage projects are reshaping local livelihoods and spatial practices in one of India’s most significant religious towns. His writings have appeared in The Caravan and Space and Culture, India.

 This is the one hundred and eighty-ninth (189) in a series of Urban Workshops planned by the Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH), New Delhi, and Centre for Policy Research (CPR). These workshops seek to provoke public discussion on the city’s development issues and address all its facets including its administration, culture, economy, society, and politics. For further information, please contact: Rama Devi at ramadevi2487@gmail.com, Champaka Rajagopal at champaka@cprindia.org or Partha Mukhopadhyay at partha@cprindia.org.