Ahead of Buddha Purnima (birth anniversary) on May 16, the government is planning a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lumbini in Nepal, the Buddha’s birthplace recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site, sources confirmed. Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is also expected to be in Lumbini to mark the occasion, the sources added.
The visit, which comes a month after Mr. Deuba travelled to India for a bilateral visit, is not expected to include a stop to Kathmandu at present.
The visit to Nepal will be one of three trips the Prime Minister will undertake in May, since he restarted international travel after the last Omicron variant of the COVID-19 pandemic spread. He is currently touring Europe, and is expected to travel east for the Quad summit in Japan, expected to be held on May 23 and 24.
