India today settled a row over the birthplace of Lord Buddha with Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh saying there is no controversy that Buddha was born in Nepal.
Singh's comments came in the wake of recent protests here following reports in Indian media claiming that Buddha was born in India.
"Buddha was born in Lumbini, which lies in Nepal, so there is no controversy," she said in response to a question at a press conference here.
After an Indian TV serial claimed that Buddha was born in Nepal, many Nepalese youth vented their ire on the streets, and lodged protests in social media like Facebook and Twitter.
"We respect all your sentiments," the Indian Embassy said in a statement yesterday.
"Our recent post on Lord Buddha was to clear any doubts related with the birth of Lord Buddha, which is in Lumbini, Nepal and to express the feeling of Government of India," it said in the statement on its official Facebook Page.
Around 300 cable operators in Nepal had blocked the broadcast of the Zee TV programme on Lord Buddha, following protests that it depicted the ancient sage as being born in India instead of the Himalayan nation.
"We were afraid that the content of the show might be disrespectful to Nepali audience...In precaution, we decided to impose self-censorship on the show," Sudhir Parajuli, Chairman of the Nepal Cable TV Association, told media here last week.
After the issue was raised on social media, sparking wide criticism, actor Kabir Bedi, who is playing a lead role in the show, apologised on Twitter.
"Yes, my friends, I mis-spoke. Forgive me. Lord Buddha was certainly born in Lumbini, Nepal. My apologies to all whose feelings were hurt," he tweeted.
Lumbini is one of the cultural heritage sites enlisted by UNESCO. According to historical sources, Buddha was born in Lumbini, situated in southern plains of Nepal in 623 BC.
The Indian Embassy said our objective through the Facebook page "is to establish a Goodwill between our two countries. India cannot progress without the progress of Nepal and wishes every prosperity for the people of Nepal."
"Our age-old relations with Nepal are marked by historical, civilisational and familial ties and will continue to be a matter of highest priority to us," Foreign Secretary Singh, who today wrapped up her two-day official visit to Nepal, said.
