Siem Reap (Cambodia): Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday said he felt like home in Cambodia, which is part of India’s “extended family”, as he inaugurated the completed conservation work of ‘Haal of Dancers’ in Ta Prohm Temple here.
Dhankhar, accompanied by his wife Sudesh Dhankhar and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, visited the Ta Prohm Temple and offered prayers. He also visited Angkor Wat Temple on the last leg of his three-day visit to the country.
“We are not in the country of our extended neighbourhood, we are in our extended family,” Dhankhar said while inaugurating the restored Hall of Dancers at Ta Prohm Temple in the Angkor archaeological complex.
‘The Hall of Dancers’ at Ta Prohm temple is part of a USD 4 million worth collaboration project between India and Cambodia on preservation and restoration of cultural heritage in Cambodia.
Angkor Wat temple, built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II, is the world’s largest religious structure and it marks the high point of Khmer architecture.
Ta Prohm is one of the most visited complexes in Cambodia’s Angkor region.
Siem Reap, the city of temples, was the capital during the Khmer Kingdom.
Vice President Dhankhar was earlier welcomed by Vice Governor Pin Prakad of Siem Reap Province and other dignitaries on their arrival in Siem Reap.
Earlier in the day, Dhankhar addressed the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Cambodia’s capital city Phnom Penh.
On Saturday, he addressed the ASEAN-India summit.
PTI

Press Trust of India