Kathmandu: India has sanctioned Rs 94 million for the construction of a rest house in the Pashupatinath Temple complex here.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shanker Mukherjee today laid the foundation stone for the Nepal Bharat Maitri dharamshala at Tilaganaga near the temple.
The 400-bed capacity facility will have separate space for office, reception, prayer hall, kitchen, dining hall and power and other utilities, an official release said.
The construction site of the dharamshala lies within the Pashupati Development Area, where tens of thousands of devotees come from India every year.
The rest house will provide good quality and affordable resting place to the pilgrims in the vicinity of the Temple, the release added.
The Indian government has appointed a consultant for implementation of the project, while a Project Monitoring Committee consisting of representatives of Pashupati Area Development Trust and the Indian Embassy has been constituted to oversee the effective and timely execution of the facility.
The dharmashala would stand as an important icon of age-old cultural ties between India and Nepal, Mukherjee said addressing the function.
