Thousands Are Making The Dream Of World Peace A Reality Through A Simple Practice. Join in!

Chanting as a practice, with its rhythmic breathing, sound vibrations and the resultant energy, is known to have several physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. It is an integral part of various religions.

At its core, Buddhism has always been about peace, both within oneself and outside in the universe.

And spreading this very message is the Global Shanti—Amaravati Buddhist Heritage Festival and its initiative to host the largest ever online gathering of people from all religions and walks of life to chant for world peace.

Global Shanti, organised by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority, is the first-of-its-kind three-day event involving meditation, food, heritage walks, and philosophical conclaves with scholars and practitioners.

The online global chant, which is to be held on February 4, 2018, at 6.30 pm, will strive to create a World Record in the process.

It will be live streamed on www.globalshanti.in. You can also be a part of this grand celebration through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

The festival invites people to join in from all corners of the world, not just in person but also digitally, in this effort. The online chanting session has no bars of age, religion, gender or location and welcomes all with open hearts.

As an awareness initiative for the event, Global Shanti’s #WhyIChant campaign invites people to share their reasons of chanting by uploading their videos using #WhyIChant. Here’s a glimpse of some of those reasons:

But that’s not all that this three-day event of holistic wellness and spiritual growth has to offer.

Apart from the global chanting initiative, there are going to be some amazing cultural performances, all tributes to the peace-loving essence of Buddhism.

A snow lion dance from the Tawang Monastery.

A mesmerising performance by Padma Shri Shovana Narayan, India’s most celebrated Kathak Guru.

A dance performance by LiAnne Hunt along with the students of Nepal’s Dance Mandal.

A soulful Carnatic music recital by the Priya Sisters, who’ve previously had the honour of performing at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

A vibrant performance of an old mystical dance form by Buddhist monks, also known as the Cham dance.

And a rousing grand finale with the enrapturing melodies of legendary flute player Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.

In addition, for the duration of the festival, a Shanti Yatra led by over 1000 monks from all over the world will be conducted in Vijaywada, everyday at 7 AM, to raise awareness about peace and harmony in the society.

India is the birthplace of Buddhism, one of the most peaceful and spiritual religions of the world and Andhra Pradesh has been reverberating with Buddhist spirituality since 3rd century B.C.

It is home not just to The Great Buddhist Stupa in Amaravati and the ancient learning centre of Nagarjunakonda, the largest of its kind in India, but also to over 200 other important Buddhist sites dating back to 3rd century BC.

Seeped in Buddhist philosophies and brimming with ancient relics and beautiful Buddhist art, Andhra Pradesh is a must-visit for every individual who’s finding their spiritual path.

The noble cause is a heartwarming effort to spread the message of peace and love amongst people on a global scale, and a perfect tribute to the rich Buddhist culture that resides in the heart of Andhra Pradesh.

With this initiative, Andhra Pradesh takes the first step towards humanity. In the words of the Minister of Tourism for Andhra Pradesh, Ms Bhuma Akhila Priya,

The festival will be organised in Vijayawada from 3rd- 5th February 2018 at the PWD Grounds, M.G.Road, Vijayawada.

Here’s one for world peace!