Dr. Lharkyal Lama, Vice Chairman of LDT and President of International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) jointly inaugurated the second edition of the India- Nepal Cultural Festival in Lumbini.

The Embassy of India in Nepal, in collaboration with the Lumbini Development Trust and Lumbini Buddhist University, organised the second edition of the India- Nepal Cultural Festival in Lumbini on 8th December 2024. The festival was celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm to promote the rich cultural heritage and traditions of both India and Nepal with a special focus on Buddha Dhamma.

The event was jointly inaugurated by Krishna Bahadur Gharti Magar, Governor of Lumbini Province; Prachanda Bikram Neupane, Minister for Industry, Tourism and Transport Management of Lumbini Province; Janmajay Timilsina, Minister for Social Development of Lumbini Province, Dr. Lharkyal Lama, Vice Chairman of LDT and President of International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), India and Prasanna Shrivastava, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Kathmandu.

The festival included a series of events, including a cultural programme with performances from both Indian and Nepali artists, as well as an academic seminar on the Buddhist cultural heritage shared by the two countries.

The event also featured a Kathak dance recital, with a theme on Buddhism, by an eight-member troupe from India led by Shikha Sharma. This was supported by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi. Traditional Nepali dances were also performed in the evening by Swojan Raghubanshi and his group, according to the release.

This cultural festival is to further strengthen the age-old, unique and close ties between India and Nepal by celebrating their shared cultural heritage while further fostering people-to-people ties. The event underscored the strong cultural and historical bonds between the two nations.