Managing Buddhist Cultural Heritage for Tourism in India

This chapter examines the current state of Buddhist cultural heritage and its management for tourism in India. Buddhism originated and flourished in India two millennia ago making India the largest repository of Buddhist heritage in terms of sites related to Buddha and historical spread of Buddhism. But now less than 2% of its population follows Buddhism which means the scale of active religious practice of Buddhism is limited. And yet Buddhist tourism is growing and the main reason for this is the way Buddhist heritage is articulated, presented, and marketed to international tourists seeking Buddhist teachings, philosophy and in general looking for active religious practice in Buddha’s land. Based on the fieldwork conducted in four iconic Buddhist sites, this paper shows how Buddhist heritage is appropriated by different stakeholders including international monasteries, government agencies, local community, and pilgrims. These interactions are situated in a complex context: Many sites are archaeological in nature and depend on the enlivening processes of Buddhist religious institutions for the continuity of Buddhist religious and spiritual practices. The chapter argues that the multi-layered issues of governance pose significant challenges for sustainable tourism and sustainability of the Buddhist heritage destinations.