PM Modi reaches Lucknow after concluding his day-long Nepal visit, holds meeting with UP BJP leaders; see pics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reached Lucknow after concluding his day-long Nepal visit.

He was received by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state Governor Anandiben Patel.

"Warm welcome and greetings to you in the holy city of Sheshavatar Lord Shri Laxman ji, Lucknow (sic)," tweeted Yogi Adityanath in Hindi.

Later, he also held a meeting with Uttar Pradesh BJP leaders and ministers in Lucknow.

Yogi Adityanath also tweeted a group picture of PM Modi and the entire Uttar Pradesh cabinet.

"Today in Lucknow with all my cabinet colleagues in the presence of respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji," the CM captioned the picture.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi visited Nepal's Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, during which he held bilateral talks with his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba and offered prayers at the sacred Maya Devi temple on the occasion of Budhha Purnima.

During his day-long visit, the PM also delivered a special address at the Buddha Jayanti celebrations organised by the Lumbini Development Trust.

He said India and Nepal's ever-strengthening friendship and their closeness will benefit the entire humanity in the emerging global situation as he likened the ties between the two neighbours as unshakeable like the Himalayas.

"India and Nepal's ever-strengthening friendship and our closeness will benefit the entire humanity in the kind of global conditions that are emerging," Modi said in his 20-minute special address.

Modi said that India and Nepal relations are unshakeable like the Himalayas and added that both the countries will work towards solving global problems with Buddha's ideologies.

"Buddha is the embodiment of the collective understanding of humanity," Modi told the gathering of some 2,500 people that included monks, Buddhist scholars and international participants in Lumbini.

(With ANI and PTI inputs)