BRICS delegates visit Thotlakonda Buddhist site in A.P. on sidelines of Youth and Sports Ministers’ meet
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya planted a sapling under ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ drive
Delegates from the 11 BRICS member countries, along with Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya, paid a visit to the Thotlakonda Buddhist heritage site in Andhra Pradesh on August 22, 2026, during the sidelines of the Youth and Sports Ministers’ meet. The Thotlakonda site is a significant Buddhist heritage site in India, featuring a Mahastupa, ancient water cisterns, a refectory, and meditation centers.
The delegates were given a guided tour by experts who explained the historical and Buddhist significance of the site, including its archaeological remains and the monastic lifestyle that once thrived there.
Mandaviya, who is also the Union Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change, planted a sapling at the heritage site as part of the "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" plantation drive, which was organized on the sidelines of the BRICS Youth and Sports Ministers’ meet. The minister emphasized that the Thotlakonda Buddhist heritage site holds considerable importance for the world and that India's Buddhist heritage is significant on a global scale.
He expressed his pleasure at visiting the historic site and participating in the plantation drive alongside the BRICS delegates.
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