Editor of Europeko Nepalipatra weekly and correspondent of Kantipur Publications in UK, Nabin Pokhrel, has been felicitated for his reports regarding birth place of Lord Buddha.

Ambassador Dr Chalise and venerable monk Anand Path felicitating Pokhrel while Ram Kumar Shrestha looks on

Ambassador Dr Suresh Chandra Chalise and venerable monk Anand Path, MP, felicitated Pokhrel at a function organised at the Nepali embassy in London.

During the function, coordinator of the Kapilvastu Day Global Campaign, Ram Kumar Shrestha, said Mr Pokhrel had written extensively about false impression being disseminated by the British Museum in London regarding the birth place of Lord Buddha.

Following reporting by Pokhrel and lobbying by the Nepalese community, the Museum has now corrected the information. In a Facebook page entry early this month, the British Museum wrote: “In light of recent comments about the Buddha’s birthplace, we would like to reassure you that the Museum does not state that the Buddha was born in India. We state that the Buddha was born into a small kingdom that flourished in north-eastern India in about 500 BC. The kingdom covered a reasonably wide area in the northern plains, along with several others of the time. When the Buddha’s mother was expecting, the family decided that she should proceed north to the hills to give birth. This she did, but gave birth along the way, in Lumbini at foot of the Himalayas. The site of Lumbini is in Nepal about 20 miles from the modern border with the Republic of India.”

Some six million tourists visit British Museum every year.

Chairman of the Non-Resident Nepalese Association UK chapter, Kul Acharya, also felicitated Pokhrel. Speaking on the occasion, Pokhrel said he will continue to report on issues of national interest and thanked all those who helped him in his reportings. nepalnews.com