India, May 12 -- Buddhism emerged in the 5th-6th century BCE in the Gangetic plains of what is now India. Lord Buddha's life, from being born in Lumbini (in present-day Nepal) to Bodh Gaya (enlightenment), Sarnath (first sermon), and Kushinagar (Mahaparinirvana) is spread across India. These sites form the core of global Buddhist pilgrimage. And India exported Buddhist philosophy through traders, monks, and scholars, to Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, China, Korea, and Japan.

Ashoka, was considered as one of the first great practitioners of what we call today i.e. Buddhist diplomacy. He sent his son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitta to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BCE, sharing teachings not as an act of conquest but as an offerin...