Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba offers prayers at Kashi temples, says he is feeling blessed
Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba thanks PM Narendra Modi, chief minister Yogi Adityanath for grand welcome accorded to him in Kashi
Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba offered prayers at three prominent temples in Varanasi (Kashi) on Sunday. These temples included the Kaal Bhairav, Kashi Vishwanath and Samrajyeshwar Pashupatinath shrines.
After visiting the Kashi Vishwanath temple, Sher Bahadur Deuba said he was “feeling blessed”. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath for the grand welcome accorded to him in Varanasi.
The Nepal PM and his wife Arzu Rana Deuba reached Varanasi earlier in the day. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed the Nepalese PM at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi with a bouquet and angvastram (stole).
The Nepal Prime Minister also received a grand welcome on the route from the airport to the city. Cultural programmes were performed at 15 locations on the way.
Accompanied by Yogi Adityanath, Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife reached the Kaal Bhairav temple first and offered prayers there. Next, they went to the Kashi Vishwanath temple where they received a traditional welcome amid the playing of drums and the chanting of mantras.
After performing worship (shodshopachar puja) at the sanctum sanctorum of the Kashi Vishwanath temple, Sher Bahadur Deuba said, “Baba Vishwanath ke darshan paakar hum iss janma mein dhanya ho gaye (After having darshan of Baba Kashi Vishwanath, we are feeling blessed.)”
“For this, we thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath,” he added.
Yogi Adityanath presented a rosary made of rudraksha beads, besides an angvastram (stole), prasad and a replica of the Kashi Vishwanath temple as mementos to the visiting dignitary.
The Nepalese PM and his wife also had a look at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.
Then, they went to the Samrajyeshwar Pashupatinath temple, also known as Nepali temple at Lalita Ghat via Kashi Vishwanath and offered prayers there.
The Nepalese PM also performed bhoomi pujan (groundbreaking ceremony) for the renovation of an old age home associated with the Pashupatinath temple.
“(Nepalese) PM Deuba did the bhoomi poojan for the renovation of the vriddhashram (old age home) associated with the temple,” said Rahul Kumar, manager of the temple.
On behalf of the Pashupatinath Temple Trust, its president Swami Omkaranand, secretary Gopal Adhikari and manager Rohit Kumar presented an angavastram and prasad to Sher Bahadur Deuba. The Nepal Prime Minister asked about the well-being of the elderly women living at the old age home. He assured to increase the facilities at the ashram and also in the temple. He revisited Kashi Vishwanath Dham and left thereafter.
Varanasi divisional commissioner Deepak Agarwal, district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Board chief executive officer Sunil Kumar Verma, additional chief executive officer Nikhilesh Kumar Mishra, officer on special duty Umesh Kumar Singh and a large number of district officials were present.
Earlier, Sher Bahadur Deuba, accompanied by a high-level delegation, arrived in New Delhi on Friday (April 1) on a three-day visit.
It is Deuba’s first bilateral visit abroad after becoming prime minister in July last year for a fifth time following a spell of political turmoil in Kathmandu.