Government of Nepal
Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation

LUMBINI DEVELOPMENT TRUST

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Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe Visits Lumbini and Tilaurakot

1 months ago   December 30, 2024   Visted:139  

Lumbini, December 29, 2024

Former Sri Lankan President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe visited Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, and Tilaurakot on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Wickremesinghe toured the Peace Flame, Maya Devi Temple, the Pushkarini Pond, and the Asokan Pillar. The entourage of the Former President was accompanied by the first lady and Hon. Binod Chaudhary, member of parliament of Nepal. He was welcomed by Khagendra Kafle, Security Chief of the Lumbini Development Trust, Rajan Basnet, Information Officer, Dilip Singh Rai, and Bikash Lama.

Accompanied by his family, Wickremesinghe offered prayers and conducted a ritual reading at the Maya Devi Temple. Expressing happiness over his visit to Buddha's sacred birthplace, he showed keen interest in the current state of Lumbini. Rajan Basnet shared that, as Sri Lanka is a Buddhist nation, the former president toured Lumbini with great enthusiasm. On behalf of the Trust, a token of love was presented to Wickremesinghe.

On Sunday, Wickremesinghe visited Tilaurakot, the ancient capital of the Sakya dynasty in Kapilavastu. He was welcomed by Khagendra Kafle and Kapilvastu Branch Chief Madhav Prasad Acharya of the Lumbini Development Trust. Traveling to Tilaurakot by helicopter with his family, Wickremesinghe expressed interest in the historic palace complex of ancient Kapilavastu, where Siddhartha Gautama spent 29 years. Bikash Lama of the Trust's Information Section provided a briefing on the Greater Lumbini Area.

Wickremesinghe is Sri Lanka's ninth president and tenth prime minister, having served as prime minister six times.