Nepal PM thanks PM Modi for visiting Lumbini on Buddha Purnima

New Delhi, May 16: Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Monday thanked PM Modi for visiting Lumbini on Buddha Purnima.

Taking to twitter, Deuba posted "Thank you, Shree@narendramodiJee, for visiting Lumbini on #BuddhaPurnima today. I believe your special pilgrimage to the Birthplace of Lord Buddha has further strengthened our friendship and cultural ties."

PM Modi offered prayers at the sacred Maya Devi temple here in Nepal on the occasion of Buddha Purnima and said he felt blessed, hoping that Lord Buddha would bless all and make the planet peaceful and prosperous.

"On the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima, both Prime Ministers offered pooja and prayers at the sacred Mayadevi temple in Lumbini, the birth place of Gautam Buddha," Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Twitter. Prime Minister Modi visited the Maya Devi Temple as the first stop of his one-day visit to Lumbini, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

"I feel blessed to have prayed at the Maya Devi Temple on Buddha Purnima. May Lord Buddha bless us all and make our planet peaceful and prosperous," Modi said on Twitter after the prayers.

PM Modi and Deuba paid their respects at the Marker Stone inside the temple premises, which pinpoints the exact birth spot of Lord Buddha.