SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
KATHMANDU, Nepal – Cleaners were busy Friday, August 1, sprucing up a famed Hindu temple complex in Nepal‘s capital ahead of a visit to the Himalayan nation by India’s premier aimed at countering Chinese influence by expanding bilateral ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to arrive in Kathmandu on Sunday with the two-day trip marking the first visit by an Indian premier since the end of Nepal‘s 10-year civil war.
Modi will meet Nepal‘s President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala during his visit. He will also address parliament, becoming the first foreign head of government to do since 1990.
The devout Hindu politician will offer prayers at the Pashupatinath temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on Monday morning.
The temple complex, which sprawls over a 2.6-square-kilometer (one-square mile) area near Kathmandu on the banks of the Bagmati river, attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims every year, many from India.
“We have deployed some 63 people to clean the temple premises – they are working from morning until night, mowing grass, polishing floors and removing dust and moss from every corner,” said Govinda Tandon, Secretary General of the Pashupati Area Development Trust.
Organizers have also arranged for 108 young priests and musicians to chant prayers and play traditional instruments to welcome Modi, Tandon told Agence France-Presse.
Although New Delhi traditionally has exerted huge influence in Nepal, Beijing recently has made significant economic forays into the impoverished Himalayan nation, spending billions of dollars on infrastructure projects ranging from roads to hydropower plants.
Modi’s visit is expected to focus on deepening trade links with Nepal, particularly in the field of hydropower, where a push to implement long-stalled projects could enable both energy-starved nations to meet their needs.
Nepal has endured prolonged political limbo since 2006 when former rebel Maoists laid down arms and signed a peace deal, paving the way for constituent assembly polls two years later.
Since then, the impoverished country has been politically paralysed, with the assembly – which also serves as the parliament – deadlocked over plans to draft a new constitution. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.