PM Narendra Modi offers prayers in Lumbini's Maya Devi Temple

KATHMANDU: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a day-long visit to Nepal, offered prayers at the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini to mark the occasion of Buddha Purnima. He was accompanied to the temple by his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Upon arriving at the Unesco World Heritage Site, which is the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, Modi said in a tweet: "Landed in Nepal. Happy to be among the wonderful people of Nepal on the special occasion of Buddha Purnima. Looking forward to the programmes in Lumbini."

In 1997, Lumbini was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is Modi's fifth visit to Nepal after becoming Prime Minister in 2015, but the first since he was re-elected in 2019. After his visit to the Maya Devi Temple, Modi will light a butter lamp in front of the Ashoka Pillar, and water the Bodhi Vriksha - the tree under which Gautam Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, according to his itinerary. IANS

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