FILM SHOWS THE CITY OF SARNATH, WHICH IS DOTTED WITH BUDDHIST AND HINDU TEMPLES. IT ALSO SHOWS SCENES OF THE CONFERENCE WHICH HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY DR. RADHAKRISHNAN, THE INDIAN PRESIDENT, AND THE DALAI LAMA, THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST LEADER NOW LIVING IN EXILE IN INDIA.




Initials DS/V/MR/JM



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Background: BUDDHIST LEADERS FROM MANY PARS OF ASIA AND THE FAR EAST ARE ATTENDING AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ORGANISED BY THE WORLD FELLOWSHIP OF BUDDHISTS IN INDIA'S HOLY CITY OF SARNATH. ABOUT 160 BUDDHIST LEADERS AND HUNDREDS OF PILGRIMS FORM 50 COUNTRIES HAVE GATHERED IN THE CITY WHERE THE LORD BUDDHA PREACHED HIS FIRST SERMON MORE THAN 2,500 YEARS AGO.

SARNATH IS BUILT ON THE BANKS OF THE FAMOUS GANGES RIVER, WHERE THE CITY'S DEVOUT HINDUS GATHER TO PRAY ON RAISED WOODEN PLATFORMS OR ON THE SITES OF EXCAVATED TEMPLES. THE CITY'S STREETS ARE DOMINATED BY TRISHAS AND BICYCLES: CARS, ALTHOUGH NOT UNKNOWN, ARE RARELY SEEN.

PERHAPS THE MOST MODERN BUILDING IN SARNATH IS THE UNIVERSITY OF BENARES, WHERE MR. LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI, THE INDIAN PRIME MINISTER, WAS EDUCATED. IT LIES IN A TREE FRINGED CAMPUS ON THE ROAD BETWEEN SARNATH AND BENARES.

THE CONFERENCE OPENED LAST SUNDAY, AND HAS AS ITS THEME THE PROBLEMS CONFRONTING THE WORLD'S 500 MILLION BUDDHISTS TODAY AND WAYS OF EXPANDING BUDDHIST CULTURAL ACTIVITIES ON AN INTERNATIONAL SCALE. IT'S THE SEVENTH CONFERENCE OF ITS KIND AND FIRST TO BE HELD IN INDIA.

THE CHINESE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC, WITH ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST BUDDHIST POPULATIONS, HAS OBJECTED TO THE PRESENCE OF DELEGATES FROM TAIWAN AND IS NOT ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE.