The International Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony (ITCC) organized by the Light Of Buddha Dharma Foundation International (LBDFI), in partnership with the IBC among others, for the last two decades is considered to be one of the largest international Buddhist events that brings together monastics and lay devotees from around the world. The 12-day ceremony from 2nd to 13th December, 2025 to be held in Bodhgaya, is expected to gather over 20,000 devotees.

The inauguration to this year’s chanting ceremony started off with the Chief Guest Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Culture, Govt of India, reading out a Special Message from Shri Narendra Modi, Honourable Prime Minister of India. The Honourable PM expressed that the pride and joy for this year’s ceremony is doubled as India is chosen to serve as the primary host country for organizing the ITCC for its 20th and 21st edition. In his words, “Buddha’s life connects individuals with other individuals and nations with other nations”. Recalling his visit to Thailand earlier this year, the Honourble PM stated that he was presented with the phonetic version of the Tipitaka in Pali. Realizing the spiritual, cultural and literary value of Pali Tipitaka and the worlds of the Buddha, it is for this reason that Pali has been declared as a Classical language by the Govt. of India.

For the last two decades, this extraordinary spiritual gathering underneath the sacred Bodhi Tree has served as a powerful testament to the enduring legacy of the Buddha Dhamma and its timeless wisdom and a global call for unity, compassion and harmony. The message concluded stating that collective recitation of the Pali Tipitaka revitalizes the ancient Indian culture.

Noting this year’s overwhelming participation, Ms. Wangmo Dixey, Executive Director of LBDFI, reiterated that India is stepping forward to reclaim its role as the guardian of the Buddha Sasana. The event is witnessing a pan India devotion at its finest. She expressed her gratitude to the Ministry of Culture, stating that this year’s offering amounted to the largest Mahadana in the history of the ceremony. The voice of this spiritual gathering keeps the Buddha’s voice and the Shakyamuni lineage alive through chanting, benefitting the present and the future generations. She expressed that the declaration of Pali as a Classical language shows that the collective voice of the devotees has been heard by India.

In addition to highlighting that this Buddhist gathering is one of the largest in the world bringing together 2500 sangha scholars and practitioners, Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena, President of the 20th ITCC – India, spoke about how this chanting aligns with Tulku Rinpoche’s vision of going back to the roots of the Buddha Dhamma.

Honouring the birthplace of the philosophy that transformed humanity, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat stated that this ceremony is an opportunity to reflect and renew our faith. The Buddha’s awakening symbolizes opening of the mind to the truth. On preserving Buddhist heritage, he recalled Honourable PM’s mention of developing Bodhgaya as a spiritual capital of India. Moreover, under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, Buddhist heritage sites are being developed. This ceremony is a representation of great nations of Asia and the Buddhist world. He concluded that the Buddha Dhamma is an anchor of peace in a troubled world.

The Guest of Honour for the event, Shri Chowna Mein, Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh remarked that Bodhgaya’s sacred soil from which the Buddha’s message of loving-kindness once spread, continues to unite the Buddhist practitioners through the ITCC. Emphasising that the Buddha Dhamma is India’s gift to humanity, his address highlighted India’s efforts in preserving its Buddhist heritage and also noted that Arunachal Pradesh has both Mahayana and Theravada traditions in practice. He acknowledged the efforts led by the IBC and LBDFI for their roles in safeguarding Buddhist traditions, reaffirming India’s commitment to sharing the Buddha’s timeless wisdom with the world.

Underscoring the relevance of the chanting, Shri Abhijit Halder, Director General IBC, in his special address, stated that this gathering is far more than a ritual. The chanting is meant to generate a profound spiritual resonance and carry the core teachings of the Dhamma at a time when the world is mired in conflict, climate crises and natural disasters that harm humanity every day. Referring to a recent conference in New Delhi on conservation of ancient and rural Buddhist heritage, he highlighted how communities across the Himalayan belt from Ladakh to Sikkim, which has several Buddhist monasteries and Buddhist communities are facing challenges due to socio-economic changes. The IBC had collaborated with the Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development (ITRHD) to jointly organise the conference. In this context, he noted that the collective chanting here sends a powerful message of metta (loving-kindness), mudita (joy), karuna (compassion), and upekkha (equanimity) far beyond Bodhgaya. In his concluding remarks, Shri Abhijit Halder mentioned that this year has been extraordinary for the Buddha Dhamma and for India. Under the Honourable Prime Minister’s guidance, the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha were taken to expositions to three countries which marked an unprecedented achievement.

The senior venerable monks from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cambodia, USA, UK, Laos PDR, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh also presented their respective remarks.

The inaugural ceremony concluded with a cultural evening organized by the Ministry of Culture and IBC along with the LBDFI. A dance drama on ‘Life of Gautama Buddha’ was presented by Theatre World which showcased crucial events of the Buddha’s life. The group is well-known for 25 years and was led by Lushin Dubey and Bubbles Sabharwal.