Rally is aimed at increasing awareness among youth about shared religious, cultural heritage of India, Nepal

Indian ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Nepal’s Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale on Thursday flagged off ‘Pashupatinath-Kashi Vishwanath Amrit Mahotsav Motorcycle Rally’.

The rally aims at showcasing the profound and timeless people-to-people connect between India and Nepal and further strengthen mutual cultural relations, a press release issued by the Indian embassy in Kathmandu said.

It further added that the rally is also intended to increase awareness among youth about the precious shared religious and cultural heritage of our two great countries.

In his remarks on the occasion, Nepal’s Minister for Culture Ale highlighted age-old cultural heritage and civilizational links between India and Nepal and wished the participants of bike rally a success in their journey.

On the other hand, the Indian ambassador spoke about 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 also urged the youth of India and Nepal to cherish and preserve this shared cultural wealth.

Venerable Chief Priest (Mool Bhatta) of Pashupatinath Temple blessed the participants before they set out on this journey.

The participants of the rally will 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.

During its journey, the rally would also cross several historically important places: Motihari – where Mahatma Gandhi launched ‘Champaran Satyagraha’ during India’s freedom struggle, Sarnath – the city where Mahatma Buddha delivered his first sermon, and Gorakhnath Math – a temple highly revered and visited by people from both India and Nepal.

The rally is organized by the Nepal-based Indian embassy in collaboration with Royal Enfield Kathmandu as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independent India and the history of remarkable progress of its people.