Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a visit to Nepal's Lumbini province on May 16, where he will be reinforcing Buddhism links with the Himalayan State and promoting India's soft power. Lumbini is also the birthplace of Buddha. PM Modi will be visiting the neighboring Himalayan nation at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba.
In October 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport in eastern Uttar Pradesh to facilitate foreign tourists and Buddhist pilgrims to reach the important site of the Mahaparinirvana Temple, where Lord Buddha attained nirvana by leaving behind his earthly body.
According to a paper by World Economic Forum's (WEF) Geostrategy Platform, despite the fact that it is host to a relatively small population of Buddhists, India can claim legitimacy in its promotion of Buddhist diplomacy for a number of reasons.
Beginning in the 3rd century BCE and possibly earlier, magnificent Buddhist monuments such as the great stupas at Bharhut and Sanchi were built. During the early centuries of the 1st millennium CE, similar monuments were established virtually throughout the subcontinent.
Notably, Nepal PM Deuba recently paid a visit to India in April and met PM Modi. India and Nepal launched multiple initiatives as well as signed four crucial agreements in multiple domains.
The two countries signed agreements on Nepal becoming the 105th member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), technical cooperation in railways, supply of petroleum products, and sharing of technical expertise in the petroleum sector between Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) and Nepal Oil Corporation Ltd. (NOC).
(With ANI inputs)
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