Nepal's Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale and India's Ambassador to Kathmandu Vinay Mohan Kwatra flagged off the Pashupatinath-Kashi Vishvanath Amrit Mahotsav Motorcycle Rally here on Thursday.
Nearly 50 Indian and Nepali motorbike enthusiasts are participating in the rally aimed at showcasing the deep and timeless people-to-people connect between New Delhi and Kathmandu and further strengthening mutual cultural relations, The Indian Embassy in Nepal said in a statement on Thursday.
The rally is also intended to increase awareness among youth about the shared religious and cultural heritage of two countries, the statement said.
Ale, while wishing the participants of the bike rally success in their journey, also sp[oke about the age-old cultural heritage and civilizational links between India and Nepal.
"Language, literature, religion, culture and living lifestyles have strengthened relations between the two nations," the Minister said.
The participants of the rally would visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on November 13 and perform puja and offer 'Swachchata Shramdan' at Dashashvamedha ghat to spread the message of cleanliness.
Referring to the special association between Kathmandu and Kashi and the role played by the two ancient temples - Pashupatinath and Kashi Vishwanath - in bringing people of the two countries together, Ambassador Kwatra urged the youth of India and Nepal to cherish and preserve this shared cultural wealth.
"Your travel is set to start from one sacred site to the other- from Pashupatinath to Kashi Vishvanath. These two places if assumed in general are names of religious sites but on the other aspect it is the main identity between the two nations," Kwatra said.
Chief Priest (Mool Bhatta) of Pashupatinath Temple was also present during the event and blessed the participants before they set out on this journey.
The rally participants would also visit Motihari - a place of great historical significance in India's freedom struggle where Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi had launched the Champaran Satyagraha of 1917.
They will also visit Sarnath, where Lord Budha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment and Gorakhnath Math, a holy temple revered by both Indians and Nepalese.
The rally is organised by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu in collaboration with Royal Enfield Kathmandu as part of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', an initiative of New Delhi to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independent India and the history of the remarkable progress of its people, the statement read.
( With inputs from ANI )
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