Buddhist Welfare Trust, The

Buddhist Welfare Trust, The was set up in 1984 under the Ministry of Religious Affairs to look after the welfare of Bangladesh Buddhists and for maintenance of their temples. A seven-member trustee board was set up for a three-year term with the Minister of Religious Affairs as its ex-officio chairman. Initially, the Ministry provided secretarial support to the trust. Later its office was set up at kamalapur dharmarajika bauddha vihara. In 1989 the trust undertook the work of translating and publishing the tripitaka. The trust published Pali-Bangla Dictionary (vol-1, 2002 and vol-2, 2008) compiled by Shantarakkhit Mahasthabir. At the initiative of the trust, libraries were set up at five different locations: Kamlapur Vihara, dhaka; Nabapandit Vihara, chittagong; Ananda Vihara, rangamati; Shibli Buddhist Vihara, khagrachari; Raj Vihara, bandarban. The trust has purchased a number of important Buddhist texts from different parts of the world, among them the original texts of the Tripitaka with English translations and Atthakatha published by the Pali Text Society of London. More than 1,000 viharas are now registered with the trust. It has a secretary and some employees for administrative work. [Sukomal Barua]