Prez Bhandari inaugurates Buddha Jayanti ceremony

LUMBINI: President Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the main ceremony of 2560th Buddha Jayanti in Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, on Saturday.

On the occasion, President Bhandari lit up a lamp while senior monks associated with Buddhism's Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana sects recited the sermons of Buddha.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is also the Chairman of the Buddha Jayanti Ceremony, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal among other leaders attended the ceremony.

The ceremony will be participated by more than 350 senior Buddhist monks from 28 different countries and more than 15,000 Buddhists from home and abroad.