Butwal, April 30 – President Bidya Devi Bhandari laid the foundation stone of the Lumbini International Buddhist Meditation Center and Assembly Hall to be constructed in Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, amidst a ceremony here today.
The foundation-stone-laying-ceremony was organised amidst with rituals coinciding the Buddha Jayanti (birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha) today.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari and Province 5 Chief Minister Shanker Pokhrel were present on the occasion.
It may be noted that two years ago, the then Prime Minister Oli who had been here to observe the 2560 Buddha Jayanti had instructed the Lumbini Area Development Trust for the construction of an assembly hall capable of accommodating 5,000 people in Lumbini.
His order followed the delay in organising the Buddha Jayanti special celebrations due to rain and storm. At the time, the ceremony was held under a tent. The Trust has already signed a contract for constructing the new structure at a cost of Rs 270 million.
The hall will be built in the shape of a monastery. It is expected to be completed within the next two years, according to Trust officiating member secretary Saroj Bhattarai.
