Nepal PM to visit Mahakaleshwar temple, Indore IT SEZ during MP visit

Nepal's PM Dahal will visit renowned Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain and also an IT SEZ in Indore in Madhya Pradesh during his India visit that began on Wednesday, official sources said

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda' will visit the renowned Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain and also an IT Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Indore in Madhya Pradesh during his India visit that began on Wednesday, official sources said.

Prachanda, along with a high-level delegation, is on a four-day official visit for talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and other leaders to further strengthen the age-old, multifaceted and cordial bilateral ties, they said.

After official engagements in New Delhi, Prachanda is scheduled to arrive in Indore on Friday and travel to neighbouring Ujjain district where he will offer prayers at the famous Mahakaleshwar temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlings (major places of worship of Lord Shiva) in the country, the sources said.

MP Governor Mangubhai Patel will receive the Nepalese prime minister on his arrival at the Mahakaleshwar shrine, they said.

Prachanda will also visit a solid waste management plant in Indore the same day, they said.

On June 3, the Nepalese PM will visit TCS and Infosys campuses in an IT SEZ in Indore and leave for New Delhi later in the day, the sources said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will host a dinner in honour of Prachanda in Indore on June 2, they said.

Earlier, Chouhan chaired a meeting with senior officials in Indore through video-conferencing to review preparations for the tour of the 68-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) leader who assumed office in December 2022.

The CM directed officials to make adequate arrangements for Prachanda's MP visit during which cultural events will also be organised, the sources added.

Meanwhile, BJP MP from Indore Shankar Lalwani chaired a meeting in a hotel here on Thursday to give the final touches to the arrangements being made for the high-profile visit. Senior officials of the Indore division attended the meeting, an official said.

It was informed in the meeting that a traditional welcome will be accorded to Prachanda on his arrival in Indore.

Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti-Beti" relationship, which refers to cross-border marriages between people of the two countries.

The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The land-locked nation relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services and its access to the sea is through India.