Kathmandu, May 12: Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Lumbini on 16 May on the occasion of Buddha Purnima at the invitation of the Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. This will be Indian Prime Minister’s fifth visit to Nepal since 2014.

At Lumbini, Modi will visit the sacred Mayadevi temple to offer prayers. Indian Prime Minister will also deliver an address at a Buddha Jayanti event organized by the Lumbini Development Trust under the aegis of the Government of Nepal. Separately, Prime Minister will participate in the "Shilanyas” ceremony for the construction of a centre for Buddhist culture and heritage, in a plot belonging to the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi within the Lumbini Monastic Zone. Both Prime Ministers will hold a bilateral meeting.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit continues the tradition of regular high level exchanges between India and Nepal in furtherance of our Neighbourhood First policy. It underscores the shared civilizational heritage of the people of both countries.