PM Modi in Nepal: Key things to know about visit

PM Modi in Nepal: The Prime Minister is in the neighbouring country on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, having been invited by his counterpart, Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Published on: May 16, 2022, 14:00:00 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently in Nepal on a short, one-day visit to the Himalayan kingdom. PM Modi is in the country on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, which commemorates the birthday of Prince Siddhartha, who later went on to become Gautam Buddha.

PM Modi and his Nepal counterpart, Sher Bahadur Deuba, at Mayadevi Temple in Lumbini. (Twitter/@narendramodi)

Also Read | At Lumbini, PM Modi showcases India-Nepal shared Buddhist heritage

The Prime Minister is visiting the neighbouring nation on the invitation of his counterpart, Sher Bahadur Deuba, who received the former upon arrival in Lumbini, the birthplace of Prince Siddhartha. “I would like to thank PM @SherBDeuba for the warm welcome in Lumbini," Modi tweeted.

“Delighted to welcome Shree @narendramodi Jee at Lumbini, the Birthplace of Lord Buddha, on #BuddhaPurnima. This is an important milestone for our age-old cultural and people-to-people relations,” Deuba wrote, welcoming his guest.

Here are a few things to know about this visit:

(1.) Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini was Modi's first stop on the brief trip. “I feel blessed to have prayed at the Maya Devi Temple on Buddha Purnima. May Lord Buddha bless us all and make our planet peaceful and prosperous.” he tweeted.

(2.) The two leaders then participated in a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of a centre for Buddhist culture and heritage, in a plot which belongs to the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi, inside the Lumbini Monastic Zone.

Also Read | PM Modi in Lumbini: Unesco world heritage site, Buddha's birthplace

(3.) PM Modi and Nepal PM Deuba also held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the visit.

(4.) The Prime Minister arrived in Nepal from Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar, a place closely associated with Gautam Buddha. On his way back, he will again stop in Kushinagar, the place Buddha where attained Nirvana.

(5.) This is Modi's fifth visit to Nepal since 2014, when he first became Prime Minister, and also the first since 2019, after he was re-elected.

Also Read | Modi to build on India-Nepal shared heritage on Lumbini trip

(6.) In 2020-21, the ties between the two friendly neighbours slumped to an all-time low due to frequent controversial remarks made by then-Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli. In July 2021, Deuba succeeded Oli.

(With ANI inputs)

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