Nepal PM offers prayer at Pashupatinath temple in Varanasi

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 3 (ANI): Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba along with his wife Arzu Deuba and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Samrajeswar Pashupatinath temple and offered prayers on Sunday, following their visit to Kaal Bhairav temple and Kashi Vishwanath temple.
Deuba arrived in India on Friday on a three-day visit. It is his first such visit abroad after assuming office in July 2021. Today on the last day of his official visit he came to Varanasi to offer prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple, Kashi Vishwanath temple and Samrajeswar Pashupatinath temple.
After offering puja at the Samrajeswar Pashupatinath temple, Adityanath, Nepalese PM and his wife were felicitated with 'shawl' by the priest of the temple.
Samrajeswar Pashupatinath Temple in the holy city of Varanasi which stood as a symbol of India-Nepal unity is attracting scores of tourists and pilgrims after the development of Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It is also known as Nepali Mandir.
Earlier in the day, Deuba along with his wife offered prayers at Kaal Bhairav temple and Kashi Vishwanath temple and offered prayers.
At Kaal Bhairav temple, Nepalese PM was welcomed as per the Indian ritual, with conch, damru and "bel patra" garland while at Kashi Vishwanath temple, Deuba was welcomed by applying 'tilak'.
The streets of Varanasi were all decked up with Deuba's posters and hoardings to greet him. Children could be seen standing with the national flags of both countries (India and Nepal).
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was already in Varanasi before the Nepal Prime Minister's arrival.
A day earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Deuba met and held delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
The two Prime Ministers jointly launched multiple projects which are likely to boost connectivity between the two countries while they expressed hope that the key initiatives being taken by them would take India-Nepal relations to new heights.
Both PMs first inaugurated a 35-km long cross-border rail link from Jayanagar in Bihar to Kurtha in Nepal and also a passenger train service built under India's Grant Assistance in a joint address at Hyderabad House. Deuba is on a three-day India visit.
Deuba met Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) President JP Nadda at the party headquarters on Friday and discussed strengthening the ties between the Nepali Congress and the BJP.
After meeting BJP President, Nepal PM met the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla in Delhi.
The Nepal PM was also accompanied by Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka, Energy and Water Resources Minister Pampha Bhusal and Health Minister Mahendra Rai Yadav during the meeting. (ANI)