Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is on a visit to India to improve the bilateral relationship between Nepal and India. After the meeting with the External Affairs Minister, he is soon to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Upon his arrival in India, he will also visit Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Modi. It is said that Nepal's relations with Varanasi are for hundreds of years. Lal Mohariya Panda, a brahmin family residing in Varanasi has been working to keep Nepalese culture and tradition alive for the last hundreds of years while living at Manikarnika Ghat, Mahatirth of Kashi.
As per the family members of Lal Mohariya Panda, in the times of the monarchial reign of Jang Bahadur Rana present in Nepal, these family members have been granted letters and seals to conduct the worship, rituals, Shraddha Karma, and tarpan for Nepalese in Kashi for the last hundred years as a pilgrimage priest of Nepal.
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Kripashankar Dwivedi, a member of the Lal Mohariya Panda family said, "about 150 years ago, the then king of Nepal, Jang Bahadur Rana, had arrived in Varanasi in disguise of a poor beggar. He came to Varanasi after hearing about the problems faced by his people after coming from Nepal. Taking a handful of barley, he requested many people to perform Shradh rituals and tarpan for their ancestors at Manikarnika Ghat, but everyone refused to offer shradh rituals for a handful of barley. Our family living here at that time helped him to perform the last rites for the peace of the souls of the ancestors. He got all the rituals and worship performed in exchange for a handful of barley."
Jang Bahadur Rana was very happy after his rituals were performed of the last rite for his ancestors. Following this, he handed over the copper plate to the Dwivedi family by putting a red stamp of the Nepal royal family on a copper sheet. He ordered to establish this family in Kashi as the pilgrimage priest of Nepal. Since then, this family has been doing the rituals of every citizen coming from Nepal, performing the rituals of the last rites and 'tarpan.'
Kripashankar Dwivedi also said that in 1993, along with the then King Virendra Rana, the Rajmata of Nepal also came to Kashi. Sitting at this ghat at this place, his family performed the Shradh and Tarpan of the King's ancestors. At present, a large number of people coming from Nepal contact this family of Kashi and complete the rituals of the last rites, tarpan, and worship in Kashi under their guidance. People coming from Nepal are also very happy to come here.
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The family of Lal Mohariya Panda said that when Nepal was under the monarchial rule, the information of Nepalese coming to Varasnashi was informed to us but ever since democracy came, the Government of Nepal has forgotten this family. Now, if any Nepalese arrive at Varanasi, the information is received from the locals about them performing the rituals. Yet we are happy that the Prime Minister of Nepal is coming here and our family is welcoming him.
