Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepali counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba met in Lumbini on Monday on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, offering prayers and holding a bilateral meeting.
Modi flew in by helicopter after landing at India’s Kushinagar, and bypassing the Gautam Buddha International Airport that was also inaugurated today. The airport is Nepal’s second international gateway and is expected to boost pilgrimage and tourism traffic in the region.
Lumbini was where the Buddha was born 2,566 years ago, and Kushinagar is where he attained parinirvana. India also inaugurated an airport in Kushinagar, and the two countries are working together on a ‘Buddhist Circuit’ that also includes Bodh Gaya and Sarnath.
Modi laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage and jointly inaugurated a 4,000 capacity meditation hall in Lumbini. Earlier, they lit lamps at the Ashoka Pillar, put up by the Mauryan emperor in 249BCE to mark the nativity site, and paid a visit to the Mayadevi Temple.
The day-long visit to Lumbini is Modi’s fifth trip to Nepal since he became prime minister in 2014. Bilateral relations soured after India imposed a 6-month blockade on Nepal and after it put 350 sqk km of Nepal’s territory in Limpiyadhura in the country’s northwestern tip on its official maps.
Modi tweeted after arriving in Lumbini: “Happy to be among the wonderful people of Nepal on the special occasion of Buddha Purnima. Looking forward to the programmes in Lumbini.”
from Nepali Times https://ift.tt/xyeqhlo
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