Nepal, India to establish sister city relationship between Janakpur, Ayodhya: Ambassador Shankar P Sharma
New Delhi – Nepalese Ambassador to India, Shankar Prasad Sharma, announced today that Nepal and India are working towards establishing a sister city relationship between Janakpur and Ayodhya. The Nepal Embassy in New Delhi expressed its delight in receiving Janakpur Mayor Manoj Kumar Sah and other dignitaries from Janakpur Dham to participate in a program organized by the Chamber of India.
In recent developments, the Embassy of India in Nepal collaborated with Lumbini Development Trust and Lumbini Buddhist University to organize the inaugural India-Nepal Cultural Festival in Lumbini. The festival aimed to showcase the rich cultural heritage and traditions of both countries, with a particular focus on Buddhism. It featured various attractions such as a Sand Mandala Drawing Art Exhibition prepared by monk artists from Hemis Monastery in Ladakh, India, a photo exhibition by renowned photographer Benoy Behl, and a street food festival offering Indian and Nepali cuisines.
The festival’s opening ceremony was jointly inaugurated by the Ambassador of India to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, the Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation of Nepal, Sudan Kirati, and the Chief Minister of Lumbini Province, Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary. The opening ceremony also included the launch of a photo exhibition, highlighting a captivating collection of photographs showcasing various Buddhist heritage sites.
The festival successfully celebrated the shared cultural ties between India and Nepal, spanning the realms of art, religion, and culinary delights. It was a wonderful platform for fostering greater understanding and appreciation between our nations, remarked Ambassador Shankar Prasad Sharma. He further emphasized the potential of establishing a sister city relationship between Janakpur and Ayodhya, a move that could strengthen the historical and cultural ties between Nepal and India.
The initiative to establish a sister city relationship between Janakpur, the birthplace of Goddess Sita, and Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, holds great symbolic significance for both countries. It represents the deep-rooted cultural and religious connections that have long existed between the people of Nepal and India. Such a relationship would promote closer cooperation, cultural exchanges, and tourism opportunities, benefiting the residents of both cities.
As Nepal and India take further steps towards fortifying their historical and cultural bonds, there is optimism that the sister city relationship between Janakpur and Ayodhya will contribute to fostering greater understanding and collaboration between the two nations.
