'Buddha born in Nepal': India clarifies on row over EAM Jaishankar's remarks

India on Sunday dismissed the controversy over the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, saying External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's remarks were "about our shared Buddhist heritage" and there's "no doubt" that the founder of Buddhism was born in Nepal's Lumbini.

'No doubt that Buddha was born in Nepal'

During a virtual event titled "India@75 Summit: Collaborating for a New Self-reliant India," organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Saturday, S Jaishankar said, "Who are the greatest Indians ever that you can remember?", adding, "I would say one is Gautam Buddha and the other is Mahatma Gandhi."

He was mentioning about India's moral leadership and how Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi's teachings are still relevant. However, the Nepalese media quoted him as saying that Buddha was an Indian.

"EAM's remarks yesterday at the CII event referred to our shared Buddhist heritage. There is no doubt that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, which is in Nepal," External Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in the response to a media query on Jaishankar's remarks.

'The entire international community is aware'

Nepal's Foreign Minister in a statement said that it is a well-established and undeniable fact proven by historical and archaeological evidence that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal. Kathmandu's Foreign Minister also recalled that Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi himself during his visit to Nepal in 2014, while addressing Nepal's Legislature-Parliament, had said that "Nepal is the country where the apostle of peace in the world, Buddha, was born."

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"It is 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 Nepal ministry added.

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Former Prime Minister and senior leader of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal said the alleged statement made by Jaishankar that Buddha was a great Indian is baseless and objectionable. Similarly, Nepali Congress spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma also said, "Lord Buddha was born in Nepal."

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The latest row over Buddha comes against the backdrop of Nepal publishing a new political map that included Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, as part of Nepalese territory. Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli had in July claimed that the birthplace of Lord Rama, is in Nepal and that Lord Rama was Nepali. He repeated the claim mere days earlier.

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(With agency inputs)