Nepal's Pokhara hosts massive event to mark International Yoga Day, promote tourism

Pokhara [Nepal], June 21 : About 1,000 Yoga enthusiasts on Wednesday held a massive event in Nepal's Pokhara in a bid to promote the traditional Indian fitness routine, as the world marked International Yoga Day.

The event, which featured Nepal's Tourism Minister Sudan Kirati and Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava, also focussed on promoting tourism with an eye on the Indian market.

The chief minister of Nepal's Gandaki province, Surendra Raj Pandey, too, graced the event at the Pokhara Rangashala ground which drew a sizeable count of Yoga enthusiasts.

The event, organised by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, in association with Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), lasted for over an hour.

"To practise Yoga in the lap of nature, we invite Indian tourists to this city. Tony Hagen has rightly stated that there is possibly no matching beauty like that of Nepal. On International Yoga Day, I wish to invite Indian tourists to the city. We want you all to visit Pokhara and be enthralled by its boundless natural beauty. We are desperate to welcome you all to Nepal," Kirati, Nepal's Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said at the event.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu organised a similar event to promote Yoga on the premises of Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. Wednesday's event was the second in a row to be organised by the Embassy to promote Yoga as well as the tourist hotspots in the landlocked Himalayan country.

"The bilateral relationship between India and Nepal has always remained cordial, as the two countries share the same philosophy, culture and civilisation. With time, our relationship has only deepened. Through Yoga, our provincial government has decided to promote our religious shrines and pilgrimage sites around Gandaki," Pandey said at the event.

Yoga, a traditional medication method for psychological as well as physical well-being developed in the Indian sub-continent, got recognition from United Nations General Assembly (UN) on December 11, 2014.

On September 27, 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the UN General Assembly, proposed the idea of marking International Yoga Day every year. The draft resolution passed by India was supported by 177 nations.

With the universal recognition and the growing popularity of Yoga, the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga on December 11, 2014. The first International Yoga Day was celebrated on June 21, 2015.

Speaking at the event, the Indian Ambassador of Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, acknowledged the growing tourist inflow from India into the Himalayan country, adding that he was hopeful that the number would increase further through such events marking International Yoga Day.

"Through more such events to mark International Yoga Day, Pokhara would soon emerge as the centre of Yoga. The Indian embassy, with the help of the Tourism ministry and the provincial government of Gandaki, should hold more such events every year on International Yoga Day," Srivastava said.

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka 'Prachanda' also issued a message on the day saying, Nepal could be a prime destination for worldwide researchers to carry out Yoga-related studies.

Dahal stated that Yoga was a priceless treasure of Nepal and the Yogmaya Ayurveda University, envisaged for natural environmental causes, should take the academic lead in the area as a credible educational space.

"Nepal's key civilizations Shiva civilization, Janak civilization and Buddha civilization are found to have been established based on Yoga foundation. If we explore the cultural history of Nepal, the science and knowledge of Yoga and Vaastu engineering have been found used in ancient structures and building of cities," the Nepalese PM added.

The influence of Yoga is all-pervasive, whether in the temple or sculpture or painting, PM Dahal said, adding that knowledge of the ancient fitness routine has also been utilised in the construction of stone spouts, ponds, wells and canals.

In his address at the UNGA in 2014, PM Modi suggested June 21 as the date for marking International Yoga Day, as it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has a special significance in many parts of the world.