Lumbini [Nepal]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (May 16) paid a visit to Maya Devi Temple in Nepal’s Lumbini shortly after he landed in the Himalayan nation.
He was accompanied by Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. PM Modi offered prayers at the Maya Devi 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,” PM Modi had said in his departure statement.
Apart from visiting the holy Maya Devi Temple, PM will be participating in the “Shilanyas” ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone.
He will also be attending celebrations to mark the occasion of Buddha Jayanti organised by the Government of Nepal.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister had described ties with Nepal as “unparalleled”.
“The civilisational and people-to-people contacts between India and Nepal form the enduring edifice of our close relationship. My visit is intended to celebrate and further deepen these time-honoured linkages that have been fostered through centuries and recorded in our long history of intermingling,” he said.
During PM Modi’s short visit, India and Nepal are expected to sign five Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) to strengthen bilateral cooperation. (ANI)
