KATHMANDU: Bhutan and Nepal marked a milestone in their bilateral ties on Friday with the ground-breaking ceremony of the Bhutan Temple Complex in the Sacred Garden of Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, setting in motion a project that will bring a distinctive piece of Bhutanese monastic architecture to one of Buddhism's holiest sites.

The Salhang-Tendrel ceremony was presided over by Dorji Lopon alongside senior monks of Bhutan's Central Monastic Body. The Bhutanese delegation was led by Home Affairs Minister Lyonpo Tshering and included Bhutan's Ambassador to Nepal and India. Nepal's Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Minister Khadak Raj Paudel, who also chairs the Lumbini Development Trust, attended as guest of honour.

The complex will be built on an 80 by 80 metre plot in the Western Monastic Zone — the last remaining plot in the zone from the original Lumbini Development Master Plan designed by renowned Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. The site sits adjacent to the central canal and the main road leading to the Maya Devi Temple.

Designed in the traditional Bhutanese Dzong architectural style, the complex will be centred on a three-storey temple with a distinctive 12-cornered plan inspired by the Utse, the central tower, of Tango Monastery in Bhutan. The complex will also include monk residences and facilities for pilgrims and visitors.

The project is fully funded by the Royal Government of Bhutan at an estimated cost of Nu 160 million. Construction is expected to be completed by 2028 and will be managed by Bhutan's Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Site clearing and boundary wall construction have already been completed following the signing of a lease agreement between the two governments in June 2025.

Prior to the ceremony, the Bhutanese delegation visited the Maya Devi Temple, which enshrines the sacred marker stone identifying the birthplace of Lord Buddha.

When completed, the Bhutan Temple Complex will be among the most architecturally distinctive in Lumbini's monastic zone, and is expected to draw Buddhist pilgrims and visitors from Bhutan and across the world to what the two governments described as a lasting symbol of their shared spiritual and cultural heritage.