NEW DELHI, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- India's northern state of Haryana will hold an international festival on Gita, the religious book of the Hindus next month.
"Indian President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the International Gita Mahotsav in the town of Kurukshetra on November 25," Haryana's Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told the media in the national capital.
This year, Mauritius is the partner country for the event which will conclude on Dec. 3. Apart from delegates from various countries, the state government has invited scholars from other religions to deliberate upon the teachings of Gita, the minister said.
The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as simply the Gita, is a Hindu scripture in Sanskrit that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
The Gita's call for selfless action inspired many leaders of the Indian independence movement, including Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi referred to the Gita as his "spiritual dictionary."
This is the second year in a row that the Haryana will be holding such a festival.
