Har Har Mahadev in Japanese: a Yamanashi delegation walks Sarnath, Namo Ghat and the Dham

A group of fifteen visitors in formal suits stood in the corridors of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham this weekend, rudraksha malas around their necks, joining the Sawan crowd in a chant of "Har Har Mahadev". They had come a long way for it. The visitors were senior members of a 109-strong delegation from Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan, led by Governor Kotaro Nagasaki. The delegation reached Varanasi on the afternoon of 22 August and began where many first-time visitors do — at Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon, a site that carries particular weight for Japanese travellers. That evening they watched the Ganga Aarti from Namo Ghat, and a reception afterwards introduced them to Indian art, handicraft and food. The visit to the Dham followed, arranged with the temple trust. The days in Kashi were not only sightseeing. Yamanashi and Uttar Pradesh used them to talk about a longer partnership — green hydrogen and clean energy, semiconductors and electronics, automobiles, infrastructure, tourism and skills training. Governor Nagasaki said ties between Uttar Pradesh, Yamanashi and Japan would be strengthened over the long term, and linked energy security built on green hydrogen to the wider cause of peace. For Banaras, the visit is a reminder of something the city has known for a very long time: a morning at Sarnath and an evening on the ghats can open conversations that a meeting room cannot.

Compiled by HelloBanaras from public sources: Free Press Journal · IANS · Live Aaryaavart