Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that in the ongoing situation in the world, the friendship between India and Nepal is set to benefit the entire humanity. PM Modi made the remarks while addressing the Buddha Purnima celebrations in Kathmandu during his day-long visit to Nepal’s Lumbini. “Given the situation throughout the world, our deepening friendship will benefit the entire humanity, and the devotion and faith of both our countries in Lord Buddha bind us in one thread, makes us members of the same family,” PM Modi said.
During his speech, PM Modi made a number of references to Lord Buddha and highlighted that the message of Buddhism needs to be spread to the entire world. “Buddha is above geopolitical boundaries, he is for everyone, he belongs to everyone,” PM Modi said. “Even our Lord Ram is incomplete without Nepal,” PM Modi said.
Prime Minister Modi visited Lumbini to hold a bilateral meeting with Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. The meeting aimed to increase bilateral collaboration in a variety of areas, including hydropower, development, and connectivity. Arindam Bagchi, spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs, described it as an opportunity to strengthen ongoing cooperation and establish new areas in India’s diverse alliance.
Addressing a public meeting, PM Narendra Modi stated that in the current global context, the increasing and stronger friendship between India and Nepal would benefit all of humanity.
After arrival, PM Modi headed to the famous Maya Devi temple to offer prayers. During his visit to the old temple, he was accompanied by his PM Deuba. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) tweeted, “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.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and unveiled a model of the proposed Buddhist Centre in Lumbini on Monday. At the Buddhist Cultural Centre in Lumbini, Dr Hari Dhoz, Information and Public Relations Chief of Lumbini Development Trust, stated
that the Indian government had been willing to provide land for the centre because of PM Modi’s interest and love for Buddhism. India received the land (for the Buddhist Cultural Centre) exactly two months ago. The construction will be finished in three years. The Buddhist Centre was established decades after most other countries, including the United States, China, Canada, France, Germany, and Thailand, established centres in Lumbini to promote Buddhist philosophy. It will cost Rs 1 billion and take three years to finish.
According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi, will construct the centre on a plot given to IBC by the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) under an agreement made in March 2022. When finished, the Centre will be a world-class facility that will welcome pilgrims and visitors from all over the world to experience the essence of Buddhist spirituality. Prayer halls, meditation centres, libraries, exhibition halls, cafeterias, offices, and other amenities will be housed in the new structure, which will be NetZero compliant in terms of energy, water, and waste treatment, according to the MEA. Also, six MoUs have been signed between India and Nepal, an MoU between the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Lumbini Buddhist University on the establishment of Dr Ambedkar Chair for Buddhist Studies; MoU between the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and CNAS, Tribhuvan University on the establishment of ICCR Chair of Indian Studies; MoU between Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Kathmandu University (KU) on the establishment of the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies; MoU in collaboration between Kathmandu University (KU), Nepal and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), India; Letter of Agreement (LoA) between Kathmandu University (KU), Nepal and Indian Institute of Technology (IITM), India [For Joint degree program at Master’s level]; Agreement between SJVN Ltd and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) for the Development and implementation of Arun 4 Project.
On the visit, PM Sher Bahadur Deuba tweeted, “Thank you, Shree Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to India following a day-long visit to Lumbini, Nepal. PM Sher Bahadur Deuba tweeted, “Thank you, Shree @narendramodi Jee, for visiting Lumbini on #BuddhaPurnima today. I believe your special pilgrimage to the Birthplace of Lord Buddha has further strengthened our friendship and cultural ties.” After becoming Prime Minister for the fifth time in July 2021, PM Deuba paid his first bilateral visit to Delhi last month. (With agency inputs)