Naidu visits ancient fire temple in Azerbaijan

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday visited a fire temple here, which is an example of the age-old historical and cultural exchanges between India and Azerbaijan.

Naidu expressed his happiness on seeing children in the traditional attire of Azerbaijan at the Ateshgah temple, the Vice President Secretariat tweeted.

Ateshgah is derived from 'Atash', the Persian word for fire.

"Delighted to have visited the 'Ateshgah' #firetemple in #Baku, #Azerbaijan today. The temple is a fine example of the age-old historical relations & #cultural exchanges between the two countries. This 18th century monument has wall inscriptions in #Devanagiri & #Gurmukhi," the vice president tweeted.

The temple and is a surviving proof of the trade links and hospitality that Indian merchants on the Silk Route to Europe enjoyed in Azerbaijani cities such as Baku and Ganja.

India's first Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore also visited Azerbaijan when it was a part of the erstwhile Soviet Union.

After visiting the temple, Naidu emplaned for Delhi.

Naidu was in Azerbaijan to lead an Indian delegation to the two-day Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, which commenced on Friday.

The theme for the summit was "Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of the contemporary world".

During the 18th NAM Summit, the vice president delivered the national statement and held discussions with a number of leaders on issues of mutual interest.

The NAM, which was formed in 1961 at the height of the Cold War as an independent forum of countries that were not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc, now has 120 member countries.

India is a founding member of NAM, which is one of the largest gatherings of world leaders.