Varanasi: Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba during his three-day visit to New Delhi will make a sojourn to Varanasi as well. Deuba along with his wife Arzu Deuba will be on a three-day visit to India from April 1-3 following the invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Varanasi and Nepal have a historical connection. A Nepali Temple, dedicated to Hindu God Shiva is located on Lalita Ghat in Varanasi. The temple was envisaged by Nepali King Rana Bahadur Shah who was exiled from the city from 1800 to 1804. It was during his exile that he decided to build replica of Kathmandu's famous Pashupatinath temple in Varanasi. The construction of the temple was taken forward by his son Rajendra Vir who completed the task in 1843. Since then, the replica of the Pashupati Nath temple in Varanasi has been serving as a bond between the people of India and Nepal.
People associated with the Nepalese Temple said artisans from Nepal were involved in the construction of the temple. The beautiful wooden carvings etched out on the temple walls depict the rich cultural heritage of Nepal. The temple architecture has a mirror image of Nepalese culture. The temple has four wooden entrance gates and a huge chiming bell is installed on the temple campus. On the South entrance gate of the temple, Nandi is housed.
