Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed his gratitude to the Nepal government for their heart-warming gesture of translating late former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's poems into the Nepali language.
Invoking Vajpayee, who he considered as his political mentor, Prime Minister Modi said that at the time of his demise, Nepal stood with India in the hour of grief. He also thanked Prime Minister Oli for calling him and extending his condolences.
"I thank Prime Minister Oli Ji and Nepal Government for this touching gesture of translating Atal Ji's poems into the Nepali language. This is a fitting tribute for a tall leader like Atal Ji," he underlined.
Prime Minister Modi and his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated the 400-bed Nepal-Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharmashala at Kathmandu.
Within the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian government and the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) for the construction of Nepal-Bharat Maitri Dharmashala at the Pashupati Temple Area Complex in Kathmandu, the project has been constructed on 10,625 square meters of land owned by PADT, under Indian grant assistance of about NPR 220 million (approx. Rs 14 crore), a statement from the Indian Embassy in Nepal read.
The dharamshala has three storeys and is equipped with modern amenities for pilgrims visiting the Pashupatinath Temple area. The building has a total floor area of approximately 6,100 square meters, and consists of single, twin-bedded, four-bedded and ten-bedded rooms, a dining hall, kitchen, library, multi-purpose hall, water treatment plant, solar heater and generator house.
The construction of the project commenced in September 2016 and was handed over by the Government of India to PADT, which will be responsible for managing the dharmashala facility for pilgrims visiting the Pashupatinath Temple area.
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The completion of the Nepal-Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharmashala is another milestone in strengthening cultural ties and people-to-people contacts between the two countries, the statement added.
After the inauguration, Prime Minister Modi said, "This prayer site of Lord Pashupatinath is connected to many centers of faith and the devotion of Lord Shiva has created a bridge between India and Nepal, which dates back to old times. Today, there is no limit to my happiness while devoting Nepal-Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharmashala to the devotees all over the world."
Reiterating his neighbourhood first policy, Prime Minister Modi stated that his government would support the Nepal government at all times.
"'Neighbour First' is our priority and we want Nepal to grow. There is political stability in Nepal, and I want to assure the Prime Minister of Nepal that India is always there to support. Nepal is also included in our 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' motto," he observed.
Prime Minister Modi underscored that both India and Nepal shares close cultural ties, adding that the historic relationship of faith, identity, and oneness between the two countries is unbreakable.
After the address, Prime Minister Modi and his Nepalese counterpart visited the Pashupatinath Temple, a famous and sacred Hindu temple complex, located on the banks of Bagmati River in the city.
With this, Prime Minister Modi completed his two-day visit to the Himalayan nation and emplaned for New Delhi.
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