Nepal is preparing an interesting wish list for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visits the Himalayan nation next month. The neighbouring country would like the Indian Government to include it in the Indian Pilgrimage Circuit, which would enable Kathmandu to boost its religious tourism.
Nepal wants India to extend the Buddhist Circuit of Varanasi-Sarnath-Bodhgaya to lumbini in Nepal. It is also expected to propose setting up of a `Nath’ circuit linking Kedarnath-Badrinath-Somnath in India with Pashupatinath-Muktinath in Nepal. Nepal will be happy if Goddess Bhagwati’s Manakamana Temple is also added to the Nath link, even though it is a little out of way. Besides, it also awaits railway and road networks and economic packages from India.
Modi will be first Indian Prime Minister (PM) to visit Nepal for a bilateral meeting after the 1997 visit of former PM IK Gujral. Former PM, AB Vajpayee had visited Nepal in 2002, but it was for a SAARC Summit. It is expected that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is going to Nepal on Friday to attend a Joint Commission meeting between the two nations, will prepare the base for Modi’s visit.
During her maiden visit to Nepal, Swaraj will hold discussions under five clusters: Political, security and border issues; economic cooperation and infrastructure; trade and transit; power and water resources and culture, education and media.
“India has a good transport network and there is immense scope for working on it under cultural cooperation between the two nations. If this transport network joins lumbini as well, then it will complete the Buddhist Circuit too,” said Tirtha Raj Wagle, Minister Counsellor in Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi.
Though another Buddhist temple Shoyambhunath is in Kathmandu Valley, the official felt that linking it with this Buddhist Circuit will be difficult. Nepal believes that this will give a fillip to its tourism sector. “The circuit in Kushinagar in India can be extended up to lumbini through a fresh route. lumbini has its religious importance and there is a scope in working in this area,” said Wagle.
Buddha was born in lumbini, while he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya (Bihar); in Sarnath (Varanasi) he gave his first sermon and in Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh) he achieved salvation. The Buddhist circuit is an important route for over 500 million Buddhists across the world. But despite having such historic and religious importance, lumbini attracts lesser tourists.
With the governments of both countries steadily working on the Buddhist Circuit with help from the World Bank, Nepal hopes the `Nath circuit’ idea may also click well with India since a lot of Hindu devotees visit Pashupatinath in Nepal every year.
“Pashupatinath and Muktinath are considered the most sacred of all Naths. In fact, Muktinath is believed to be the Nath of all Naths. Hence, they are of high importance to Hindus,” said Wagle.
India is building a 600-km road network in Nepal. Called the Tarai network, it is in the first phase of construction.
It is expected that the network might get extended up to 1,400 kms. “The road network is a priority for us for linking entire Nepal. This will help in development of the country,” said Wagle.
India with its huge rail technology and infrastructure has also developed the Janakpur (Nepal)-Jainagar (Bihar) rail link. Nepal has requested India to upgrade that line since it is not in a very good condition now. It is learnt that Indian Railways have already conducted a feasibility study on it and further discussions for upgradation will be held during Swaraj’s visit.
Besides, India also has shown interest in some new hydel-projects in Nepal. A feasibility study on Sunkosi (Bihar) and Mahakali rivers (Uttarakhand) is already on even though Nepal is facing resistance at the domestic level with regard to resettlement, compensation and environment issues.