Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba today on the auspicious day of Buddha Purnima laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in Lumbini in Nepal.
The Centre will be a modern building, NetZero compliant in terms of energy, water and waste handling, and will house prayer halls, meditation centres, library, exhibition hall, cafeteria, offices and other amenities, the MEA said in a statement.
Modi's visit to Lumbini at the invitation of Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba underscores the shared civilisational and cultural heritage of people of both countries and will further deepen bilateral relations.
Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace, is an inalienable part of the circuit following the life story of Buddha. Improving connectivity between Lumbini and other destinations in the transnational circuit is important. The proposed Lumbini-Kushinagar rail link will be crucial in this respect.