PM Modi gifts miniature painting to Nepalese PM- Here's all you need to know

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted a traditional "Pahari School" miniature painting from Himachal Pradesh to his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba during the meeting between the two leaders earlier today. The exquisite traditional painting depicts the season of `Shravan` or Monsoon which falls during the months of July and August.

"A part of the traditional Barahmasa Series, this refined painting depicts the eternal lovers Radha and Krishna, under a canopy of thundering monsoon clouds engaged in a loving conversation with their graceful glances, while gently holding hands," the description of the painting read.

"The thundering clouds and calm landscape are an allegory for the turbulent inner emotions of Radha and Krishna, which are in stark contrast to their calm outward demeanour - thus making the Barahmasa Paintings not just illustrations of the seasons but also a medium to communicate human emotions and moods," the description further read.

The intricately rendered painting is set in a beautiful landscape of lush flora and folk hutments, depicting the tranquil beauty of Himachal Pradesh - particularly from the 17th Century to the 19th Century, the description said. The period of the 17th-18th century was the peak of the Pahari School of Miniature Painting with sub-schools like Kangra, Guler, and Bhasoli getting established during the period under royal patronage.

This contemporary masterpiece is representative of the painting style that originated in Kangra, the description said talking about the painting that was gifted.

Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba met with his counterpart PM Modi today and held wide-ranging deliberations on various topics including cooperation in the power sector, railway projects, flood control programs, as well as the border dispute between the two countries.

Yesterday, the Nepalese Prime Minister met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla in the national capital. Earlier, he met Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) President JP Nadda at the party headquarters in a courtesy meeting.

The last Head of State/Head of Government-level visit from Nepal was in May 2019, when then PM K P Oli visited India for the swearing-in ceremony of PM Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers.

Before that PM Modi had visited Nepal in August 2018 for the 4th BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu, which was preceded by a State Visit to Nepal in May 2018. PM Modi had extended a congratulatory message to Sher Bahadur Deuba soon after he won the Vote of Confidence in Nepal`s Parliament. This was followed by a congratulatory telephonic conversation on 19 July 2021.

The most recent meeting between PM Modi and Sher Bahadur Deuba took place on November 2, 2021, on the sidelines of COP 26 in Glasgow. Sher Bahadur Deuba is a veteran politician of the Nepali Congress with a political career spanning over seven decades.

This is Deuba`s fifth tenure as PM. His first term was from September 1995 to March 1997.He has visited India several times, both when in and out of power. This will be his fifth visit to India as PM, with the last visit being in August 2018. The previous three visits took place in 2004, 2002 and 1996.