Lumbini, 21 March: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey has said that Lumbini is not only a center of Buddhist faith but also a center of world peace tourism.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 2nd Lumbini International Peace Festival and International Meditation Festival, Minister Pandey said that Lumbini is not only a center of faith for Buddhists but also a sacred place for peace-loving citizens around the world, making it a center of peace tourism. He said that Lumbini can give a message of peace, unity, harmony and humanity to the world.
Minister Pandey said that the ministry is working to protect Lumbini, which is on the World Heritage List. Stating that Nepal can benefit from cultural, spiritual and adventure tourism, he said that Lumbini will be its main destination. He urged the implementation of agreements to collaborate with countries including Thailand and Cambodia for tourism promotion, cultural exchange and expansion of air services as they were recently signed. Minister Pandey, who is also the chairman of the Lumbini Development Fund, stressed on the need to make Tilaurakot, Devdaha and Ramgram, which are connected to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, a world peace city.
Dr. Lharkyal Lama, Vice-Chairman of the Lumbini Development Trust, said that Lumbini is the best place in the world for Buddhist meditation. He said that since Lumbini is the place where Buddhism originated and gave the message of peace, the festival will play an important role in promoting it.
Deepak Raj Joshi, Executive Officer of the Nepal Tourism Board, said that the Peace Festival held in Lumbini will make a significant contribution to tourism promotion. He said that since Lumbini is a holy place for Buddhists and peace-loving people around the world, the Peace Festival, meditation and cultural programs held here will send a positive message to the world.
Speaking at the event, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song said that China has organized the Lumbini International Peace Conference for the second time in the holy site of Lumbini to strengthen its relations with Nepal. He expressed confidence that the festival will facilitate cultural, sports, religious and people-to-people exchanges between Nepal, China and other countries.
On the occasion of the inauguration of the conference, a meditation was conducted with the participation of one hundred monks and four hundred seekers at the Mayadevi Temple Garden. The third Lumbini International Peace Marathon program was organized on the occasion of the ‘International Day of Peace for Sports and Development’ on Saturday, informed Nepal Olympic Committee Chairman Jeevan Ram Shrestha. The festival began on Thursday, organized by various bodies including the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy.
