New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Sunday that India’s connections with Nepal are “unparalleled” ahead of his travel to Lumbini on the festival of Buddha Purnima. Modi announced in a statement that he will travel to Nepal on Monday at the invitation of his colleague Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Modi will meet his Nepali counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba for bilateral discussions during his visit. Modi’s visit to Nepal will be his fifth since 2014.
“I look forward to offering prayers at the Mayadevi Temple on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Jayanti. I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of millions of Indians to pay reverence at the sacred site of Lord Buddha’s birth,” the statement read.
The statement further read, “Apart from visiting the holy Mayadevi Temple, I will be participating in “Shilanyas” ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone. I will also be attending celebrations to mark the occasion of Buddha Jayanti organised by the Government of Nepal.”
The statement further read, “Apart from visiting the holy Mayadevi Temple, I will be participating in “Shilanyas” ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone. I will also be attending celebrations to mark the occasion of Buddha Jayanti organised by the Government of Nepal.”
The civilizational and people-to-people linkages between India and Nepal, according to Modi’s statement, build the enduring edifice of “our close friendship.”
His visit is “designed to recognize and develop these time-honored ties that have been fostered over centuries and chronicled in our long history of intermingling,” according to the cheval chevalier.
In the meantime, major preparations are underway in Lumbini. Hoardings praising Indo-Nepal friendship have reportedly been placed all along the highway heading to Lumbini.
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