INDIA-NEPAL RELATIONS

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Context

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Lord Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini district of Nepal for Buddha Purnima.
The focus on Lumbini has been part of the “Buddhist Circuit” vision of the Indian government, which has presented India as the land of the Buddha. India has been focusing on the Buddhist community worldwide as part of its soft power diplomacy.

India-Nepal Relation

Nepal is an important neighbour of India and occupies a special significance in its foreign policy because of the geographic, historical, cultural and economic linkages/ties that span centuries.
India and Nepal share similar ties in terms of Hinduism and Buddhism with Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini located in present-day Nepal.
The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations that exist between India and Nepal.
India is Nepal’s largest trade partner and the largest source of foreign investments, besides providing transit for almost the entire third-country trade of Nepal.
India-Nepal has undertaken various connectivity programs to enhance people-to-people linkages and promote economic growth and development.
Bilateral defence cooperation includes assistance to the Nepalese Army in its modernization through the provision of equipment and training.
India has signed three sister-city agreements for twinning Kathmandu-Varanasi, Lumbini-Bodhgaya and Janakpur-Ayodhya.