9th International Day of Yoga celebrated in Pokhara, Nepal

The Embassy of India, Kathmandu, in association with Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nepal Tourism Board and Patanjali Yogpeeth Nepal organised a public yoga at Rangshala in Pokhara to celebrate the 9th International Day of Yoga. This year’s theme of International Yoga Day is “Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘Yoga for the Welfare of All as One World-One Family’.

Nepal’s Minister of Culture, Civil Aviation and Tourism Sudan Kirati, Chief Minister of Gandaki Surinder Pandey, Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City Dhana Raj Acharya and over 1000 yoga enthusiasts from the region participated in the event.

Chief Minister of Gandaki Province Surendra Raj Pandey thanked the Embassy of India for choosing Pokhara to celebrate the International Day of Yoga. Chief Minister Pandey said that the whole world had accepted yoga for mental peace, and happiness, and as a medium of peace for humankind. He added that for centuries, philosophy, civilization and culture have defined the India-Nepal relationship, and important religious sites in Pokhara can be hubs for Yoga practices.

Ambassador of India to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava joined hands with the Gandaki Provincial Government, Nepal’s Tourism Ministry and Pokhara Metropolitan City to celebrate Internationation Yoga Day every year in Pokhara n June 21 on a grand scale. He noted that Pokhara Metropolitan City had informed him that the maximum number of tourists visiting Pokhara were Indians. He underscored that with the celebration of International Yoga Day in Pokhara, yoga-oriented tourism can be further boosted in the city. Ambassador also shared that Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi will celebrate the occasion today evening with world leaders at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Minister of Culture, Civil Aviation and Tourism Kirati said that Yoga is accepted by the world as a common treasure for the welfare of mankind and was getting popular. He remarked that as mountains are rising annually, India-Nepal relations are also reaching new heights. The recent visit of our PM Prachanda to India has set a new milestone in this regard.

The International Day of Yoga 2023 in Pokhara was part of the ongoing celebrations under India@75 ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015, following the adoption of a resolution co-sponsored by 175 member states at the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.