The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today offered prayers at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The occasion, which coincides with a Monday in the month of Shravan as per the Hindu calender, is considered to be extremely auspicious.
The Prime Minister was greeted with traditional musical instruments on arrival, and schoolchildren chanted mantras from the Vedas.
The Prime Minister was at the temple for 45 minutes, during which a special prayer (Mahapuja) was performed.
He donated 2500 kg of sandalwood to the temple. Temple authorities presented the Prime Minister with a small scale model of the temple.
In the visitor`s book, he wrote that Pashupatinath Temple and Kashi Vishwanath Temple (in Varanasi) appear similar.
The Prime Minister later greeted thousands of people who had assembled in and around the temple premises.
