Nagpur Jayanti Procession

On Monday 1 October in a special ceremony at Diksabhumi conversion ground conducted by the Japanese monk Suraj Sesai – a long-time resident of Nagpur – many members of the local Buddhist community took monastic vows. Eight thousand men took the samanera ordination – following the monk’s lifestyle for a short period of time. They were accompanied at the head of a huge procession through central Nagpur by two thousand bhikkhus (full Buddhist monks). In all Two hundred thousand people joined the march, which also included two thousand lorries decorated with scenes from the life of the Buddha, making it the largest procession ever seen in Nagpur. Among those becoming samaneras was the politician and Congress Leader, Nitin Raut.