Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Lumbini on May 16, 2022 on the occasion of Buddha Purnima at the invitation of Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba. This will be Prime Minister’s fifth visit to Nepal since 2014.

At Lumbini, Prime Minister Modi's will visit the sacred Mayadevi temple to offer prayers. Prime Minister will also deliver an address at a Buddha Jayanti event organized by the Lumbini Development Trust under the aegis of the Government of Nepal, read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs of India on Thursday.

Separately, Prime Minister will participate in the "Shilanyas” ceremony for the construction of a centre for Buddhist culture and heritage, in a plot belonging to the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi within the Lumbini Monastic Zone. Both Prime Ministers will hold a bilateral meeting, the Ministry said.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit continues the tradition of regular high level exchanges between India and Nepal in furtherance of our Neighbourhood First policy. It underscores the shared civilizational heritage of the people of both countries, the statement further read.