The Dragon Palace Temple
History:
One of the finest examples of superb architecture and scenic landscape, the Dragon Palace Temple is a Buddhist temple and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Nagpur. Situated in Kamptee, Nagpur district, the temple is about 20kms from Nagpur city, on the Nagpur –Jabalpur road and is considered as a landmark of Indo-Japan friendship as Madam Noriko Ogawa from Ogawa Society Japan financially contributed in the construction of this beautiful piece of architecture.
Inaugurated in the year 1999 by Reverend Nichiki Kato from Tokyo, Japan, the Dragon Palace Temple since then has gained popularity as one of the tourist attractions of the city, not only because of its commendable architecture, but also for what it signifies – peace, friendship and harmony to its visitors.
Known as the ‘Lotus Temple of Nagpur’, the Dragon Palace Temple is surrounded by verdant green, skilfully landscaped gardens with colourful flowers that spread a pleasant fragrance in the environs. The walls of the temple have been painted in bright white colour that symbolises peace, clarity and divinity.
If you happen to visit the temple during the meditation hours then you can see thousands of devotees chanting ‘Nangu-Mayo-Ho-Renge-Kyo’. The temple is an ideal place for you if you are looking for some peace and want to de-stress yourself. Today the Dragon Palace Temple is visited by more than 17lakh people annually.
Best time to visit:
The best time to visit Dragon Palace Temple is between November and February when the weather is pleasant enough to admire this unique piece of architecture.
Timing:The Dragon Palace Temple is open to the public throughout the year.
Location:Nagpur.
How to reach:
By Air
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport is nearly 6 kms from Nagpur Central. Nagpur is well connected to Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata by Jet Airways, Indian Airlines Kingfisher and Indigo. There are taxis and auto rickshaws that are available from the airport to the city.
By Rail
Nagpur is well connected with rail network. Trains run to and from Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Kolhapur, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Jammu, Amritsar, Lucknow, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Trivandrum, Cochin, Gorakhpur, Visakhapatnam, Bangalore, Mangalore, Patna, Indore.
By Bus
Nagpur is well connected to most industrial centres of the country. National Highways passing through Nagpur are Mumbai-Kolkata NH-6 & Kanyakumari – Varanasi NH-7.