Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba, performed the shilanyas ceremony (foundation stone laid) for construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone, Lumbini, Nepal.
The Centre will be constructed by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi, on a plot allocated to IBC by the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT), under an agreement between IBC and LDT signed in March 2022.
After the shilanyas ceremony, which was performed by monks belonging to three major Buddhist traditions, Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, the two Prime Ministers also unveiled a model of the Centre.
Once completed, the Centre will be a world-class facility welcoming pilgrims and tourists from all over the world to enjoy the essence of spiritual aspects of Buddhism.
It will be a modern building, NetZero compliant in terms of energy, water and waste handling, and will house prayer halls, meditation centers, library, exhibition hall, cafeteria, offices and other amenities, the official note said on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Lumbini, Nepal on May 16, 2022, coinciding with the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima, at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba.
As Prime Minister, this was Narendra Modi’s fifth visit to Nepal and first to Lumbini.
Prime Minister was warmly welcomed on arrival by Prime Minister Deuba and other dignitaries.
Upon arrival, both Prime Ministers visited the Mayadevi temple, within which lies the birth place of Lord Buddha. At the temple, the Prime Ministers attended prayers conducted as per Buddhist rituals and made offerings.
The Prime Ministers lit lamps and visited the historical Ashoka Pillar, that carries the first epigraphic evidence of Lumbini being the birthplace of Lord Buddha. They also watered the holy Bodhi tree that was brought as a gift by Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Nepal in 2014.
Prime Minister Modi together with Prime Minister Deuba participated in the “Shilanyas” ceremony for the construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage at a plot in Lumbini belonging to the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) based in New Delhi.
The plot was allocated to the IBC by the Lumbini Development Trust in November 2021. After the “Shilanyas” ceremony (foundation stone laying), the Prime Ministers also unveiled a model of the Buddhist centre, which is envisaged as a Net-Zero compliant world-class facility that would house prayer halls, meditation centre, library, exhibition hall, cafeteria and other amenities and would be open to Buddhist pilgrims and tourists from around the world.
Both Prime Ministers participated in a special event to mark the 2566th Buddha Jayanti celebrations that was organized by Lumbini Development Trust under the aegis of the Government of Nepal.
At the event, PM Modi addressed a large gathering of monks, officials, dignitaries and those associated with the Buddhist world.
