Lumbini is centre of world's peace tourism: Tourism Minister Pandey

Lumbini, March 21: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey has said Lumbini is the centre of faith of Buddhists as well as the epicentre of world peace tourism.     

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Second Lumbini International Peace and Meditation Festival on Friday, Minister Pandey said Lumbini is not only the centre of faith of the Buddhists but also the holy place of peace-loving citizens of the world. 

He said the message of peace, unity, harmony and humanity can be spread globally from Lumbini. Minister Pandey said that the Ministry is working on the conservation of Lumbini, which is on the World Heritage Sites List.     

Stating that Nepal could benefit from culture, spiritual and adventure tourism, he said Lumbini will be its main destination. He urged the bodies concerned to work towards implementing the agreement signed recently with Thailand and Cambodia for tourism promotion, cultural exchange and expansion of air services.     

Minister Pandey, who is also the Chair of Lumbini Development Trust, stressed the need to make Tilaurakot, Devdaha and Ramgram, adjacent to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, as world peace cities.     

Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) Vice-Chair Dr Lharkyal Lama said Lumbini is the best place in the world for Buddhist meditation. Stating that Lumbini is the place of origin of Buddhism and the message of peace, he said the festival would play an important role in its promotion.     

Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board Deepak Raj Joshi said the peace festival held in Lumbini would contribute significantly to the promotion of tourism.     

Noting that Lumbini is a holy place for Buddhists as well as peace lovers from all over the world, he said the peace festival, meditation and cultural programmes organized here would send a positive message to the world.     

On the occasion, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song shared that China has organized the Lumbini International Peace Conference for the second time in Lumbini to further deepen its relations with Nepal.     

He expressed the belief that the festival would facilitate the exchange of cultural, sports, religious and people-to-people relations between Nepal, China and other countries.     

On the occasion of the inauguration of the conference, a meditation session was organized at the Mayadevi temple garden with the participation of 100 monks and 400 seekers.     

The festival was organized by various agencies including the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy. (RSS)