Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Nepal on Monday for a brief visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, and participated in the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture Heritage.
India will join over a dozen countries, including China, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, to have a centre of its own in Lumbini.
After landing, the PM tweeted, Happy to be among the wonderful people of Nepal on the special occasion of Buddha Purnima. India has a formal presence at the holy site that is 10 km away from the border.
Along with Nepal PM Deuba, PM Modi offered prayers at the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini. They were pictured watering a plant together at the Maya Devi temple. The PM's office called it a timeless bond of friendship. On his way back to Delhi, PM Modi will visit Mahaparinirvana Temple in Kushinagar, UP, which is said to be the place where Lord Buddha has achieved nirvana. He is scheduled for a short stop in Lucknow to meet CM Yogi Adityanath.
It is PM Modi's fifth visit to Nepal since 2014. Modi arrived in Lumbini on a special Indian Air Force helicopter from Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Lumbini, located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, is one of the holiest places of Buddhism, as Lord Buddha is believed to have been born there.
Prime Minister Modi and his Nepali counterpart Deuba will hold a bilateral meeting in Lumbini.
According to a statement issued by Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they will exchange views on Nepal-India cooperation and matters of mutual interests during the meeting.
Modi said in his departure statement on Sunday that his visit was intended to celebrate and further deepen these time-honored links that have been fostered through centuries and recorded in our long history of intermingling.
According to PTI, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Kwatra, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and other senior officials will be in the Prime Minister's entourage.