Buddha Purnima 2022: PM set to visit Lumbini, birthplace of Gautam Buddha, on May 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Nepal on May 16 (Buddha Purnima) for a brief visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. PM Modi will visit the Himalayan nation at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba, according to Nepal Prime Minister's Press advisor Anil Pariyar.

During the hour-long trip, Prime Minister Modi will pay a brief visit to Lumbini in western Nepal on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, Lord Buddha's birth anniversary, the official said.

It will be Prime Minister Modi's first Nepal visit after his re-election in 2019. Prime Minister Deuba is also scheduled to participate in the program along with his Indian counterpart.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, is yet to make an official announcement about the visit.

Deuba was in Delhi last month on his first bilateral visit abroad after becoming prime minister for the fifth time in July 2021. During the visit, which was aimed at injecting fresh momentum into bilateral ties, Deuba held talks with Modi on several key issues, including the boundary issue.

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Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship.

The landlocked Himalayan nation shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states - Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services.