Dragon Palace Temple (Kamthi)

          While on return from Nagpur via Kamthi, we made visit the famous Dragon Palace Temple this time also. It is a Buddhist temple.It is situated in Kamthi ( कामठी), hardly 25 to 30 Km from  Nagpur city

.Nagpur (M.S) is the historic place where Baba sahib Dr B. R. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism with his lacs of followers in 1956.

    The Dragon Palace Temple  is dedicated to Lord Buddha.The temple was founded by Mother Noriko Ogawa Society of Japan in 1999 with association Ms Sulekha Kumbhare, the then Mayer of Kamthi city.Currently, she is  Maharashtra state minister for water supply and sanitation. 

           Dadasaheb Kumbhare ,father of Ms. Sulekha Kumbhare, was a devout follower of Dr. Ambedkar, serving as a member of the Indian Parliament. He devoted himself for the improvement of society. When he died at the age of 59, his daughter, Ms. Sulekha Kumbhare became a politician to accomplish the tasks left by her father.

 The Dragon Palace Temple  is sprawled over an area of approximately 10 acres,comprises of a magnificent Buddhist prayer center, which offers peace and serenity to visitors. Enshrined on the first floor of the Meditation Hall of the temple is a colossal statue of Lord Buddha. The idol is said to have been carved out of a single block of sandalwood.
      Some time back, Dragon Palace Temple of Kamptee was felicitated with the International Award for the best concrete structure of the world.

     The walls of the temple have been painted in a bright white color, which is meant to symbolize calm, clarity and divinity. It is also known as the 'Lotus Temple of Nagpur' and stands encircled by lush green, landscaped gardens, blooming with colorful flowers.
        Devotees congregate at the temple everyday and pay their tribute during the meditating hours.Even on big congregation,pin drop silence is always there.
       The Ogawa society has also undertook the responsibility of provided social services, like those of a mobile hospital, a welfare centre, an orphanage and school for poor etc.