Source: HPI
KATHMANDU, NEPAL, March 22, 2003: King Gyanendra and Queen Komal of Nepal began an 11-day Indian pilgrimage last Thursday, visiting a number of Hindu shrines in southern India. This is King Gyanendra’s first religious trip abroad. H. H. Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati of Kanchipuram invited the world’s only Hindu monarch to a festival of kotihom (sacred fire) and the royal couple is visiting temples, some of which have a tradition of extending the King of Nepal privileged access to the inner sanctum, an area normally restricted to the priests. King Gyanendra’s itinerary began in New Delhi, where he met President Kalam, Prime Minister Vajpayee and other Indian leaders.