Kathmandu, May 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Nepal's Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita on Friday as part of his two-day visit to the nation. The Prime Minister, who is in Nepal at the invitation of Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, will also visit Janaki Mandir where he will offer prayers and address a gathering.

In Janakpur, the Prime Ministers of both the nations will jointly initiate two projects--Janakpur-Ayodha bus (TBC) and launch Ramayana Circuit on the Janaki temple premises. The Ramayana Circuit is an initiative undertaken by the Indian Ministry of Tourism to help promote religious tourism.

After the bus service is flagged off, the Janakpur sub-metropolis will then accord a civic reception to Modi at the Barhabigha Rangabhoomi ground. Reports inform that a holiday has been declared in the province because of PM Modi's visit. It must be noted that the Ramayan Circuit Bus Route will connect Janakpur, Goddess Sita's birthplace, to Ayodhya, Lord Ram's birthplace.

It must be noted that this is PM Modi's third visit to Nepal making it the only country he has visited thrice. Security has been beefed up for the visit of Narendra Modi to Janakpur. If reports are to be believed, nearly 11,000 security personnel have been deployed. Reports inform that Annapurna trekking route in Manang will also be closed for three days to trekkers and tourists due to security reasons.

During his two-day visit to Nepal, Prime Minister Modi and his Nepalese counterpart will lay the foundation stone of Arun III hydroelectricity project in Sankhuwasabha district of eastern Nepal, undertaken by India's Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam, through video conferencing. The 900-MW project, in which India will spend $1.5 billion, is believed to be completed in five years.

On May 12, Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Muktinath temple at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass in Mustang district. The Prime Minister will pay obeisance and also announce a "surprise gift" for its development and reconstruction.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 11, 2018 10:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).