NEW DELHI: After a gap of 17 years, a Prime Minister from India will be visiting Nepal this year. Narendra Modi will visit the Himalayan kingdom early in August to pay tributes at Pasupatinath temple on the auspicious last Monday of the month of Shravan.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will leave for a three-day visit on Friday, which government had said would pave way for ‘early visit’ by Modi.
While officially, India has not announced the dates, Nepal Foreign Minister Mahendra Pandey told media that Modi would be in Kathmandu on August 3-4.
August 4 is the last Monday of Shravan, which is specially dedicated to Lord Shiva -- the presiding deity of Pasupatinath temple.
This will be Modi’s second bilateral visit after taking office -- both in the neighbourhood, underscoring his policy focus on South Asia. His first foreign trip was to Bhutan.
For his swearing-in ceremony, all the leaders of South Asia, as well as, Mauritius were invited -- an unprecedented gesture, which did not go unnoticed. Former PM Manmohan Singh never went to Nepal in his term.