Southern Army Commander pays tribute at the ‘Bipin Bell’ at Muktinath Temple in Nepal

Southern Army Commander pays tribute at the ‘Bipin Bell’ at Muktinath Temple in Nepal

Southern Army Commander Lieutenant General A K Singh, who is also the president of Gorkha Brigade, visited the Muktinath Temple in Nepal and paid tribute at the ‘Bipin Bell’ that was installed at the temple premises in February 2023 in the memory of former Chief of Staff late General Bipin Rawat. The Army Commander is presently on a seven days’ visit to Nepal, starting from January 16.

Located on the foothills of Tharang La Pass in Mustang, the Bipin Bell was installed at the revered Muktinath Temple when four former Chiefs of the Indian Army—General V N Sharma, General J J Singh, General Deepak Kapoor and General Dalbir Suhag, who are also Honorary Generals of Nepal Army, visited Nepal to attend the 260th Nepali Army Day in February last year.

“Late General Bipin Rawat, a proud Gurkha officer himself, had a deep connect with Nepal and Nepali people and always endeavored to strengthen the camaraderie and brotherhood between both Armies and nations. The installation of Bipin Bell at the temple premises signifies his keen interest in visiting the temple which he had planned in the year 2021, but due to his untimely and unfortunate demise, could not materialise,” said a press statement from the Southern Command.

“Lt Gen A K Singh also called upon General Prabhu Ram Sharma, chief of Nepali Army, wherein he discussed furtherance of military bilateral relations between the two nations in order to bolster army-to-army connect.

During his visit to Pokhara, Baglung, Dharan and Kathmandu, he also interacted with Nepal domicile Gorkha veterans, Veer Naris and their dependents through various ex-servicemen rallies and updated all of them about various welfare measures pertaining to their pension benefits and other initiatives undertaken by the Indian Army,” said the release.

Earlier, the Army Commander visited the Embassy of India in Kathmandu and interacted with ambassador Naveen Srivastava. He also visited the defence wing in the Embassy of India. He was updated by Defence Attache, Nepal, on the issues concerning pensions, welfare, Ex Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and medical aspects and documentation of Nepal domicile Gorkha veterans, their next of kin and dependents.

The general officer also interacted with the veterans and their dependents at Record Office Indian Embassy (ROIE) in Kathmandu and appreciated the efforts of the defence wing that is working to mitigate problems of the Nepal Domicile Gorkhas and their dependents.

The Army said that the visit was aimed at fortifying mutual relations between India and Nepal and fostering a spirit of camaraderie and mutual respect. “It also underlines our firm commitment to honouring our esteemed veterans and acknowledge their vital role in maintaining special relationships between both nations,” said the Army.

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