Local authorities in Nepal’s Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, are giving finishing touches to the venue where the third day of the International Buddhist Conference is to take place on Saturday to mark the 2,560th birthday of Lord Buddha.
According to officials, this is the first time that the government of Nepal is organising a function in Lumbini to mark the occasion. Until last year, it was the Lumbini Development Trust that organised the event, according to local reports.
The event at Lumbini is one of many events being held around the world this weekend to mark the day officially designated at the birthday of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Ananda Prasad Pokharel and delegates attending the Buddhist Conference will be present during the main ceremony. Similarly, ambassadors from countries such as Myanmar, India, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan and Korea are expected to take part in the day’s event.
The International Buddhist Conference, which began on Thursday, is set to issue a Lumbini Declaration after the event on Saturday.