DOTI: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale has said that it is the need of the hour to preserve and protect religion and culture of the country.

All should come together to preserve religion, art and culture of their own, he said while laying the foundation stone for the construction of the Badikedar trail, a popular trail of Sudurpaschim Province amid a function here today.

“Country’s ancient art, culture and religion are identity of us Nepali people. They should be preserved and protected. We can cash in on them as foreign tourists visit Nepal to observe them,” he said.

He also expressed his concerns about encroachment by modernity in the country’s folk culture, religion and art, thus bringing them at risk of disappearance.

The minister allocated Rs 90 million for the construction of the trail that would facilitate visit of pilgrims to Badikedar Tample, a religious tourism destination, located in the southern belt of Doti district in Sudurpaschim Province, said Dipendra Raj Siradi, executive officer of the Badikedar Area Tourism Development and Management Committee.

Under the project, resting places, steps and railings will be constructed, he said. Pilgrims from home and neighbouring India visit the temple for worshipping. One worshipping at the temple gets their wishes come true, according to a mythology.

RSS