Rajnath Singh, Malaysia’s defence minister, visits the Ramakrishna Mission and the Batu Caves temple

Rajnath Singh, Malaysia’s defence minister, paid respect to Swami Vivekananda during a visit to the Ramakrishna Mission on Tuesday. He referred to the spiritual leader as a “Global Youth Icon” and said the monument of the man is evidence of the rich legacy of Indian tradition and culture in Malaysia.

Singh travelled to Malaysia for three days as of Sunday and landed in Kuala Lumpur. This is the first bilateral trip since the Enhanced Strategic Partnership was established, which was signalled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2015 trip to Malaysia.

I feel fortunate to start the day by visiting the Ramakrishna Mission in Kuala Lumpur. ‘Global Youth Icon’ Swami Vivekananda Ji, I have paid my respects,’ the defence minister tweeted.

In 2015, Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi inaugurated this monument, which he described as “a testimony to the rich legacy of Indian heritage and culture in Malaysia.”

Singh also went to the Batu Caves temple complex, which has an Indian craftsman-made figure of Lord Murugan.

Along with members of the Indian diaspora, he was welcomed by Tan Sri Nadarajah, Chairman of the Batu Caves Temple Committee.

“RM Shri @rajnathsingh paid a visit to the famous Batu Caves temple complex, which is guarded by an imposing monument of Lord Murugan. The Batu Caves Temple Committee Chairman Tan Sri Nadarajah, a sizable Malaysian Indian community, as well as NRIs stationed in Malaysia, all welcomed him with a Urumi procession. @hcikl, the Defence Ministry tweeted.

Batu caverns, which is home to a number of caverns and the well-known 272-step Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Murugan, is situated at a 400 million-year-old limestone hill.

In order to fulfil the full potential of their strategic alliance, Singh conducted fruitful discussions with Malaysia’s senior leadership, including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, on Monday. The two countries decided to alter a significant MoU signed in 1993 to improve military-to-military and technological collaboration.

At the Malaysian military ministry, Singh received a ceremonial Guard of Honour to kick off his official commitments there. Bilateral discussions with his Malaysian colleague Mohamad Hasan were held after that.

Both parties spoke about methods to further industrial collaboration as they considered how to further develop their bilateral defence relationships. According to a formal statement, they reiterated their resolve to fully execute the Enhanced Strategic Partnership based on shared principles of democracy and the rule of law, as well as mutual trust and understanding.