Birgunj/Kathmandu, April 7:

King Gyandendra today said that establishment of peace in the true sense was the need of the hour. He was addressing the silver jubilee anniversary celebration of the World Hindu Federation at Pipara Muth, Birgunj. The King inaugurated the celebrations by lighting traditional oil lamps and releasing a pair of pigeons at Pipara.

He also inaugurated the silver jubilee memorial pillar and the Birendra Memorial Sanskrit Bidhayapeeth on the occasion. The King placed an urn containing holy water collected from 24 nations at the base of the pillar.

“The holy Vedas lay special emphasis on peace and humanism,” the King said. “The people of Nepal and India enjoy similar cultures and traditions, with age-old affinity and affection fostered by shared religious beliefs complementing one another.

Common perspective exists on a number of issues,” he said, adding that Nepal was a paradigm of perfect religious harmony as it has never had any discord in the name of religion.

The religious pillars of four sects namely Vedic, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh were bonded in Nepal, paving the way for the spontaneous development of the Omkar Parivar. “While holding all religions in high esteem, we firmly believe in the good virtue of creating a peaceful environment.

On the behalf of the Federation, he also felicitated Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala, social workers Chandani Joshi and LM Sindhi for their contribution to the publicity and conservation of Hindu religion. All three were presented tamrapatra (letter of appreciation).

Speaking on the occasion, Indian Guru Shankaracharya said there was no alternative to monarchy in Nepal. He said he was shocked at the restoration of democracy in Nepal in 1990. He expressed his happiness at the steps taken by the king to rule the nation.

Vice-chairperson of the council of ministers, Kirti Niddhi Bista read out an appeal to the King. Bista is chairperson of the silver jubilee celebration committee.

Federation chairperson Bharat Keshar Singh said the conference would draft a Hindu code of conduct to bring back to the line the young generation which is disregarding ancient Hindu tradition and culture.

Rajparishad standing committee member Swami Prapannacharya and Swami Jaya Pataka also spoke on the occasion. The Federation provided the Shankar Lal Kediya Religion Award, with a purse of Rs 51,000, to Swami Rama Nanda Giri. The jubilee celebrations will conclude on Sunday.