President Kovind inaugurates Dhaka's historic Kali Mandir destroyed by Pak Army in 1971

Dhaka, December 17: President Ram Nath Kovind, who is on his maiden visit to Bangladesh, has inaugurated the renovated Sri Ramna Kali Mandir here, 50 years after it was destroyed by Pakistani forces in 1971.

While inaugurating the temple, the President described the temple as the symbol of the cultural and spiritual bonding between the people of India and Bangladesh. The President and First Lady Savita Kovind offered prayers at the renovated temple.

The temple was destroyed by the Pakistani Army's operation codenamed 'Operation Searchlight' in 1971, targeting the resistance movement in the country. The temple was set on fire by the Pakistani forces, killing many people, including devotees and those residing in it. India supported the renovation of the temple.

Addressing the Indian community after inaugurating the temple, Kovind said that he sees it as a blessing from Maa Kali'. "This morning, I went to the historic Ramna Kali temple, where I had the privilege of inaugurating the renovated temple. I look at it as a blessing from Maa Kali, " he said.

"I have been told that the governments and the people of Bangladesh and India helped in restoring the temple, which was demolished by the Pakistani forces during the war of liberation," Kovind said.

Hindus make up some 10 percent of Muslim-majority Bangladesh's 169 million population.