Buddha Purnima Celebration at Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Kolkata

Buddha Purnima Celebration at Fo Guang Shan Monastery

Tangra (New Chinatown) Kolkata

Also see: My blog post on Calcutta (Kolkata) Chinatown and Buddhist Temple of Kolkata (Calcutta)

It was 21 May 2016 and the world celebrated the Buddha Purnima (Purnima means full moon), which marked the birth of Lord Buddha.

Two nuns in front of the giant Buddha statue, on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, at Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Tangra, Kolkata

Strangely, even according to the lunar calendar, the birth of Lord Buddha is not constant and is celebrated on different days in different countries all over Asia.

Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, Tangra, Kolkata

Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple

New Chinatown (Tangra), Kolkata

Also see: My blog post on Calcutta (Kolkata) Chinatown and Buddhist Temple of Kolkata (Calcutta)

Tangra, Kolkata’s (Calcuta’s) new Chinatown, is known for its Chinese restaurants but it also houses the Fo Guang Shan Budhist Monastery, a Chinese Temple which doubles up as a Chienese eatery. during weekends.

Giant Buddha Statue, at the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, Tangra (New Chinatown), Kolkata

Although the Chinese have made Kolkata (Calcutta) their home since the late 18th century, the Chinese settlement in Tangra only dates back to the 1920s.