Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse will visit Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, during his first visit to Nepal from March 2-4, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Kathmandu confirmed on February 19. Rajapakse will be the highest dignitary to visit the Himalayan republic after the successful Constituent Assembly polls.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' had invited Rajapakse during the second summit of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economical Cooperation (BIMSTEC) held in Indian capital New Delhi in November last year.

Apart from Lumbini, Rajapakse will also visit other Buddhist shrines, including Swoyambhunath and Bouddhanath.

Nepal and Sri Lanka, last month, revised the decade-long Air Service Agreement (ASA) between the two countries, paving the way for the Sri Lankan national flag carrier to launch its Nepal flights.

Rajapakse will land at Tribhuvan International Airport aboard the inaugural flight of Sri Lankan Airways, according to a news report published by The Times of India.