Lumbini (Nepal): Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that India and Nepal's ever-strengthening friendship and their closeness will benefit the entire humanity in the emerging global situation.
Modi, who is in the Himalayan nation at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba on a day-long visit to Lumbini on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, also said that India and Nepal relations are unshakeable like the Himalayas.
"India and Nepal's ever-strengthening friendship and our closeness will benefit the entire humanity in the kind of global conditions that are emerging," Modi said while addressing the International Buddhist Conference here. Prime Minister Modi, who attended the 2566th Buddha Jayanti Celebration at International Convention Center and Meditation Hall at Lumbini, was accompanied by his Nepalese counterpart Deuba and his spouse Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba. Several Nepalese ministers were among the other dignitaries present.
"Buddha is the embodiment of the collective understanding of humanity," Modi told the gathering that included monks, Buddhist scholars and international participants. Lumbini, located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, is one of the holiest places of Buddhism, as Lord Buddha was born there.
Agency inputs
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