Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is in Nepal to attend the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit in Kathmandu, today paid homage at the Mayadevi Temple at Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.

President Rajapaksa and his delegation arrived in Lumbini this morning by a helicopter which landed at a helipad near the Lumbini bus park, the Himalayan Times reported.

After disembarking from the helicopter, the Sri Lankan Head of State took the outer route to the Mayadevi Temple and entered the temple through the No. 5 gate. He spent nearly five minutes observing the Mayadevi Temple and the Ashoka pillar. The Sri Lankan dignitary also lit a peace lamp in the premises of the Mayadevi Temple.

Minister for Youth and Sports Purushottam Poudel had offered a souvenir along with the civic felicitation to the Sri Lanka President, the report said.

Likewise, Vice-chairperson of the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT), Acharya Karma Syangba Sherpa presented an idol of the Buddha and a thanka (scroll) painting depicting the Mayadevi.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Poudel said the second visit of the Sri Lankan President to Lumbini would provide big support to the overall development of Lumbini.

He also expressed the confidence that President Rajapaksa’s visit to Lumbini this time would help deepen the relations between the two countries.

Minister Poudel welcomed the Sri Lankan President when he arrived in Lumbini.