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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met a delegation led by the Mayor of Gimhae City, a 'Sister City' of Ayodhya and said, the connection between the two cities is a testament to "our shared cultural heritage and longstanding people-to-people relations."

 

Gimhae City is about 330 km southeast of the capital Seoul.

 

According to a Korean legend, a teenage princess from Ayodhya crossed the ocean in a boat some 2,000 years ago, sailed almost 4,500 kilometres to reach Korea and married King Kim Suro, who founded the Gaya Kingdom in the north Asian country.

 

The princess, Suriratna, then became Queen Heo Hwang-ok. Some 60 lakh people in South Korea, who consider themselves descendants of Suriratna, consider Ayodhya as their maternal home.

 

"Delighted to meet Gimhae City Mayor Hong Tae-yong today. The Gimhae- Ayodhya connect is a testament to our shared cultural heritage and longstanding people-to-people relations. Discussed greater cultural and educational cooperation with Gimhae City," the EAM posted on X after the meeting along with a photo of the occasion.

 

Jaishankar gifted a small replica of the recently inaugurated Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

 

A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said his visit also "allowed age-old civilisational and cultural ties between the two countries to be cherished."

 

"India shares an ancient bond of kinship with the Korean people, manifested by Princess Suriratna from Ayodhya, who is known as Queen Heo Hwang-ok in the RoK," it said.

 

Many members of the Karak clan visit Ayodhya every year to pay tributes at the memorial of Queen Heo Hwang-ok at the Queen Heo Memorial Park, which was set up on the banks of the Sarayu River in Ayodhya in 2001 in a partnership between the Uttar Pradesh government and the Gimhae city.

 

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar met South Korea's top leadership as he co-chaired the 10th India-South Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his counterpart Cho Tae-yul.

 

Meanwhile, the MEA statement also said that the EAM received from revered Monk Domyung a book penned by him on Korea's historical and cultural association with ancient India and Buddhism.

 

EAM visited a special exhibition showcasing India's rich Buddhist heritage at the prestigious National Museum of Korea.