Reacting to India Foreign Minister’s claim, MoFA says Buddha was born in Nepal

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has reacted to Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s statement that Lord Buddha was an Indian.

Issuing a statement on Sunday, MoFA said it is a well-established and undeniable fact proven by historical and archaeological evidences that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal.

“It is a well-established and undeniable fact proven by historical and archaeological evidences that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal. Lumbini, the Birthplace of Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism, is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites,” the MoFA stated in a press statement.

It may be noted that Indian Foreign Minister Jai Shankar had during a virtual event on Saturday, claimed that Lord Buddha was an Indian.

MoFA recalled that Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi had himself during his visit to Nepal in 2014, had said that “Nepal is the country where apostle of peace in the world, Buddha, was born” while addressing the Legislature Parliament of Nepal.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it true that Buddhism spread from Nepal to other parts of the world in the subsequent period.

“The matter remains beyond doubt and controversy and thus cannot be a subject of debate. The entire international community is aware of this,” the statement said.