Tourism Minister Paudel Unveils Buddha Statue at Nepal’s Embassy in London

London — Nepal’s Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ganesh Paudel, unveiled a statue of Lord Gautam Buddha at the Embassy of Nepal in London on 4 November 2026. The unveiling took place during a special “Nepal Evening” programme organised by the embassy. House of Representatives member Manish Jha also attended the event.

The statue was installed at the initiative of the Non-Resident Nepali Association’s International Coordination Council (NRNA ICC), in collaboration with its National Coordination Council UK (NCC UK) and Buddha Foundation UK. The Nepal Tourism Board supported the transportation of the statue from Nepal to the United Kingdom.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Paudel said such initiatives play an important role in spreading Gautam Buddha’s message of peace and compassion worldwide. Praising the installation, he noted that it would help strengthen Nepal’s identity as the birthplace of Buddha and promote its Buddhist heritage internationally.

Nepal’s Chargé d’Affaires to the United Kingdom, Bipin Duwadi, commended the NRNA’s contribution to promoting Nepal’s Buddhist heritage and cultural identity on the international stage.

The project was led and coordinated by Somnath Sapkota, spokesperson for the NRNA ICC and chair of its Tourism Promotion Committee. According to Sapkota, the statue installed at the embassy in London is the first under the NRNA’s global Buddha statue installation campaign.

Sapkota said preparations were underway to install additional statues at Nepali embassies and diplomatic missions in various countries. The campaign includes plans to install a Buddha statue at the Embassy of Nepal in Portugal, while installations at other missions will be arranged according to their needs and priorities.

The campaign aims to install a total of 10 Buddha statues at Nepali diplomatic missions. The association said it was raising funds from internal sources, coordinating with sculptors to produce the statues, and mobilising support from officials of its international and national coordination councils, as well as partner organisations.

A related initiative also includes plans to install a metal Buddha statue at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Australia, in collaboration with NRNA Australia.

According to the association, the campaign’s main objective is to promote Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, as an international Buddhist pilgrimage site and a major destination for spiritual and cultural tourism. To support this goal, the NRNA is working with the Nepal Tourism Board and local governments along the Buddhist circuit.

The NRNA said it has been promoting Nepal’s tourism, culture, heritage and investment opportunities through its global network. The association described the Buddha statue installation campaign as part of its efforts to strengthen Nepal’s cultural diplomacy and international identity.

The “Nepal Evening” programme brought together 32 tourism professionals and representatives from Nepal, representatives of the UK tourism sector, and members of the Nepali community in Britain. The event showcased Nepal’s tourism potential and provided an opportunity to discuss tourism cooperation and the expansion of business networks between Nepal and the United Kingdom.