TEXAS: Mayors of the different municipalities falling under the Lumbini Circuit in Nepal are in Texas, USA to promote Lumbini, the birth place of Gautam Buddha.

A team of mayors has arrived in the US at the initiative of the Department of Tourism under the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) of USA.

The visiting team is scheduled to interact and discuss with various bodies of the US and Nepali community in Texas, New York, Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.

During the visit to Texas, the team of mayors of the Lumbini Circuit interacted separately with members of the Texas State Assembly, the mayor and office bearers of the local Euless City, and leaders of the Nepali community, according to Netra Pandey, Vice President of the Department.

In the interaction with the US and Nepali communities in Texas, participants expressed the commitment to promote tourism in the Lumbini region, preserve and develop Nepali religion and culture. In this context, the Texas State Assembly meeting has also declared ‘Lumbini Advocacy Day’ by passing a resolution in the presence of the visiting mayors.

“The purpose of our visit is to introduce Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha, to the international community. During the visit, we will establish sisterhood relations with local municipalities in the US, distribute informative kits about the Lumbini region, and invite US and Nepali citizens to visit the Land of Buddha and the municipalities in the Buddha Circuit in Nepal,” said Dhruv Kharel, Mayor of Devdaha Municipality.

At a welcome program organized by the Nepali Society of Texas, Greater Austin Nepali Society, Lumbini Sewa Samaj, and other organizations, the visiting Mayors urged the second generation of Nepali origins US citizens to visit Lumbini. “This will connect the second generation with their homeland. It will help promote Lumbini in the US community through them,” said Kapilvastu Municipality Mayor Sudip Poudel.

Likewise, Ramnagar Municipality Mayor Dhanpat Yadav said that the visit would help further promote Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha.

The visiting Mayors’ team is scheduled to meet with local authorities and NRNA officials in Virginia, Baltimore, Maryland, New York and hold a discussion at the Nepali Embassy in Washington, DC, according to the NRNA US Department of Tourism.