Kathmandu, 19 Baisakh: On the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, the Nepali Embassy in Islamabad, in collaboration with the Punjab government of Pakistan and in coordination with the embassies and high commissions of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Vietnam, organized various programs on Friday. Under the program, various religious activities were conducted at the Dharmarajika Stupa and Taxila Museum in Pakistan.

According to the embassy, Nepal's Ambassador to Pakistan Rita Dhital, in her welcoming remarks at the Taxila Museum on the topic of 'Using Shared Buddhist Heritage for Sustainable Tourism', said that Buddhist heritage sites are major pilgrimage sites for over 500 million devotees worldwide.

She said that these sites have great potential in terms of spiritual, cultural and educational tourism, and expressed the view that connecting Buddhist sites in South Asia through infrastructure would contribute to the socio-economic development of local communities, facilitate pilgrims to practice meditation, and help researchers in studying Buddhist philosophy.

Ambassador Dhital said that the joint initiative of the Sri Lankan High Commission and Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Nepal presents Buddhism as a common cultural and spiritual bridge connecting all over Asia, and that it will promote the universal values ??of peace, compassion and wisdom.

A 'video' about Lumbini, including details about the Lumbini Master Plan, Mayadevi Temple, Vihar area, and Shanti Jyoti prepared by the Lumbini Development Fund, was also shown at the program.