Lumbini (Nepal), May 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba on Monday performed the shilanyaas ceremony for the construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone here.
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, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
After the shilanyaas 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, he said.
Prime Ministers @narendramodi and @SherBDeuba take part in the Shilanyas programme for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone. This Centre will deepen the cultural and people-to-people linkages between India and Nepal. 🇮🇳 🇳🇵 pic.twitter.com/n5TLc1iDUM
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 16, 2022
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 MEA added.