Lumbini/New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the relations between India and Nepal are as old and as strong as the Himalayas and the two must take their bilateral ties to as high as the lofty mountains that link the two neighbours, as he stressed that the ever-strengthening friendship between the two nations would serve to benefit humanity.
Addressing the 2,566th Buddha Jayanti Celebration in Lumbini, Nepal, the PM said:
“In the kind of global conditions that are being created today, the ever-strengthening friendship of India and Nepal and our closeness, will serve the benefit of the entire humanity. And in this, the faith of both our countries towards Lord Buddha, the boundless reverence for him, unites us in one thread and makes us a member of a family.”.
Stressing on the shared linkages between the two neighbours, he said that Lord Buddha belongs to everyone and is for everyone and that the proposal to link the Buddhist heritage sites of Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, and Kushinagar in India and Lumbini in Nepal, would be mutually beneficial.
The PM said that lakhs of devotees from all over the world come to these shrines every year and the two sides must give more momentum to efforts to boost tourism.
PM Deuba, in his remarks, said that the past visits of PM Modi to Pashupatinath and Janakpur “have strengthened the age old cultural ties between India and Nepal and also increased the flow of Indian tourists to these historic places”.
He added that he had had fruitful talks with PM Modi on the ways and means to developing bilateral relations, and to develop the Buddhist heritage circuit – linking Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Kushinagar and Lumbini. “This will inspire the Buddhists of the world to visit the important places linked to Lord Buddha,” he added.
“India is our trusted friend. India helped us during Covid, and we greatly value India’s contribution in the field of hydropower, connectivity, infrastructure development and restoration of cultural sites, and post-quake reconstruction,” PM Deuba said.
Earlier, following their bilateral talks, the two sides inked six agreement on the educational and cultural side, including one on the Arun 4 hydroelectric project.
PM Modi, who earlier in the day visited the Maya Devi Temple dedicated to the mother of Gautama Buddha where she is believed to have given birth to Gautama, said the darshan was an “unforgettable” experience and added that the positive energy and the peace emanating there were altogether different.
The two PMs also performed the shilanyas ceremony for construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone.
The Centre will be constructed by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi, on a plot allocated to IBC by the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT), under an agreement between IBC and LDT signed in March 2022.
After the shilanyas ceremony, which was performed by monks belonging to three major Buddhist traditions, Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, the two Prime Ministers also unveiled a model of the Centre.
During their bilateral talks, the two sides agreed in principle to establish sister city relations between Lumbini in Nepal and Kushinagar, in Uttar Pradesh.
Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, and Kushinagar, his final resting place, are among the holiest sites of Buddhism and reflects the shared Buddhist heritage between the two countries.
Both Prime Ministers held a bilateral meeting, during which they followed up on their discussions held on April 2 in New Delhi. They discussed specific initiatives and ideas to further strengthen cooperation in various sectors, including culture, economy, trade, connectivity, energy and development partnership.
The two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction at the progress made in the bilateral power sector cooperation in recent months, that covers development of generation projects, power transmission infrastructure and power trade.
Prime Minister Deuba invited Indian companies to undertake the development of West Seti hydropower project in Nepal.
PM Modi assured India’s support in the development of Nepal’s hydropower sector and in encouraging interested Indian developers to expeditiously explore new projects in this regard.
Both Prime Ministers agreed to further expand educational and cultural exchanges to bring the people of the two countries closer.
The visit has provided further momentum to the multifaceted partnership between the two countries and advanced cooperation in key areas, particularly in education, culture, energy and people to people exchanges, an official statement said.
Both Prime Ministers agreed to further expand educational and cultural exchanges to bring the people of the two countries closer. A Luncheon was hosted in honour of Prime Minister Modi by Prime Minister Deuba.
Prime Minister Modi on Monday paid an official visit to Lumbini, Nepal, coinciding with the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima, at the invitation of Nepalese PM Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The visit to Lumbini was his fifth visit to Nepal as Prime Minister of India and first to Lumbini.
Earlier, Prime Minister Modi was warmly welcomed on arrival by Prime Minister Deuba, his spouse Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, Minister for Home Affairs Bal Krishna Khand, Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka, and several other ministers, an official statement said.
