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The Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI) launched a coffee table book titled ‘Religious and Spiritual Circuit Nepal and India’ amid a programme held at Lalitpur on Monday.
The book was jointly launched by the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kirati, President of NICCI Shreejana Rana, the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Bharat Raj Paudyal.
On the occasion, NICCI President Rana expressed her gratitude to those who contributed in making of the book, adding that it would help in promotion of religious tourism in the two countries. “This book came about from a wish to share more than the remarkable diversity and beauty of Nepal and India. We wanted to showcase our incredible religious sites and further promote bilateral tourism between our two nations. There are always challenges in promoting a new destination or theme. But it is not enough to say ‘come visit our countries’.
We must show ‘why’. This book does that,” she said.
Similarly, Minister Kirati, said that the relationship between Nepal and India dates back to ancient times and expressed his belief that the book will contribute significantly to the promotion of religious tourism between the two countries while also strengthen the relationship between Nepal and India to new heights.
Indian Ambassador Srivastava also expressed his belief that the book will help to further enhance the centuries-old relationship between Nepal and India.
The book features articles from Nepali and Indian scholars, including Neera Mishra, Ramesh Dhungel, Basudev Krishna Sashtri, Ramesh Bhattarai, Acharya Pandit, Tek Narayan Upadhyaya, Gyani Gurubaksh Singh, among others.
The book highlights five religious circuits, including Shiva-Shakti Circuit, Mahabharat Circuit, Ramayan Circuit, Buddhists Circuits and Sikh Circuit, while also showcases the religious sites found in the two countries and their significance to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism.