Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday welcomed several world leaders at Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the 18th BRICS Summit, with the iconic Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, forming the backdrop of the welcome ceremony.
PM Modi warmly received Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other leaders at Bharat Mandapam ahead of the summit.
The prime minister was seen briefly explaining the significance of the temple backdrop to Xi during the welcome ceremony. He also interacted with and explained the backdrop to several other visiting leaders.
The Ramanathaswamy Temple, located on Rameswaram’s Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu, is one of the most revered Hindu pilgrimage sites and among the 12 Jyotirlinga temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. Known for its grand corridors, intricate architectural details and distinctive rituals, the temple is regarded as a symbol of devotion, rich culture and history.
The temple also holds a special place in Hindu tradition because of its association with the Ramayana and its significance as a pilgrimage centre representing purification and spiritual transformation.
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday and Sunday, September 12-13, bringing together leaders from BRICS member and partner countries as well as outreach invitees.
India’s BRICS Chairship is guided by the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting PM Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of “Humanity First”, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
In his welcome remarks at the opening BRICS session on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism” in New Delhi on Saturday, PM Modi welcomed the participating leaders and said India’s BRICS Chairship was based on a people-centric and humanity-first approach.
“Resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability have been our priorities. Alongside these priorities, we have placed special emphasis on connecting BRICS cooperation with the common people. With this vision in mind, more than 350 meetings were organised. We had the opportunity to welcome your teams to approximately 30 cities,” PM Modi said.
He said BRICS had established a distinct identity on the global stage and stressed that the grouping was not against anyone. He called for BRICS to move forward with an approach of taking everyone along.
PM Modi also called for the establishment of a “BRICS Continuity and Implementation” mechanism.
(IANS Inputs)
