Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has returned to the island after concluding his four-day state visit to India.

They arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) at around 12.45 pm via a charter flight of Air India (AI-3175), Ada Derana correspondent said.

The Sri Lankan prime minister arrived in New Delhi last evening (07) and was accorded a warm welcome by the Indian Minister of State for Human Resources Development Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre.

On Saturday (08), he was received by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

He met with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar Saturday morning and he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind later that day.

PM Rajapaksa also visited historic religious sites in India, including Varanasi, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and Tirupati.

The delegation consisted of Community Empowerment and Estate Infrastructure Development Minister Arumugam Thondaman, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Douglas Devananda, Prasanna Ranaweera MP, Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundara, Secretary to the Prime Minister Gamini Senarath, Secretary to the Treasury and Ministry of Finance S.R. Attygalle, Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Ariyasinghe and Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister Professor G.L. Peiris.

This is the first visit of Mr. Rajapaksa abroad since he assumed duties as the Prime Minister.