Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had to cut short his visit to Nepal in March following a dastardly attack on the national cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan, is expected to be here by the end of this month.
He is scheduled to inaugurate the Sril Lankan monastery in Lumbini. Last time around, Rajapakse could not visit Lumbini since the terror strike coincided with his trip to the birth place of Lord Buddha. “The details of his visit are yet to be worked out,” said a source at the Sri Lankan embassy in Kathmandu.
Sri Lanka is the current chair of the eight-member regional bloc of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The Sri Lankan president will be the first SAARC chairperson to visit Lumbini. A majority of the population in Sri Lanka follows Buddhism. Over the years, there has been a steady increase of Lankan tourists to the Buddhist pilgrimmage spot. Several nations have built monasteries in Lumbini, making it a unique showcase of Buddhist art and culture. Myanmar, Thailand, China, Japan, India and several other countries have built their monasteries here.
In January, Nepal and Sri Lanka revised the decade-long Air Services Agreement to start direct flights between Kathmandu and Colombo to boost tourism. Once the direct flight between Kathmandu and Colombo starts, the Lankan tourists will see a huge rise.
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