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Esperanza, a sleepy town in Agusan del Sur, wants to boost its economy by inviting Buddhist tourists to come and visit.
The idea came to the Caraga Tour Guides Association following a recent visit by Tibetan Buddhist monks to the site where a golden statue of Arya Tara, an important deity in Vajrayana Buddhism, was discovered in 1917.
Since 1922, the original ‘Golden Tara’ has been the property of the Field Museum of National History in Chicago. The institution has labelled the 13th century solid gold statue, which weighs four pounds, ‘Agusan Gold Image.’
In the forested area where the statue was discovered by a poor woman named Belay Campos, locals have mounted a replica and a marker narrating the place’s history.
The Tibetan Buddhists now consider this a ‘holy place’, reports ABS-CBNnews.com.
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