Mamallapuram Readying for Modi-Xi Meet

Ancient port town has historical connection with China and Buddhism

- Te Raja Simhan

The coastal town of Mamallapuram (aka Mahabalipuram) has pipped the sacred city of Varanasi to host the historic informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, thanks to the Chinese connection the port town has.

The historical Buddhism connection is being capitalized well with statutes of Buddha seen at various vantage points in Mamallapuram, which is getting a major facelift with hundreds of workers toiling round-the-clock to ensure that the town is ready for the historic meeting between October 11 and 13.

The meeting also assumes greater significance as the trade war between the US and China has been escalating in recent times.

The meeting at the UNESCO World Heritage Site also reiterates the Centre’s commitment to hold meetings outside Delhi.

In April 2014, the DefenceExpo was held near Mamallapuram.