New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson and former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain on Thursday met President Droupadi Murmu and extended a formal invitation to visit Bhagalpur, Bihar. During the meeting, Shahnawaz requested the President to unveil a life-size statue of freedom fighter Tilkamanjhi at Tilkamanjhi Bhagalpur University.
He also invited the President to visit the ancient campus of Vikramshila University in Kahalgaon, which is being revived under the joint efforts of the Centre and the Bihar government. According to Shahnawaz, the President warmly accepted the invitation and assured that she would make every effort to visit Bhagalpur.
Describing the meeting as affectionate and cordial, Shahnawaz briefed President Murmu on the historical and cultural significance of Bhagalpur and the wider Ang Pradesh region. “I shared with Her Excellency the deep connections of this land with the Mahabharata and Ramayana eras,” he said.
He also highlighted the religious and spiritual relevance of the Shravani fair, during which lakhs of Kanwariyas collect Ganga water from Bhagalpur and walk to offer it at the Baba Baidyanath temple in Deoghar. “Silk City Bhagalpur is known globally for its rich textile heritage,” he added, noting the mythological legacy of the nearby Mandar hill, often referenced in the Puranas.
Hussain expressed hope that the revival of Vikramshila University—an ancient seat of learning dating back to the Pala period—would restore Bhagalpur’s lost academic and cultural prominence.
