SAMYAK MAHADAAN CONCLUDES SATURDAY EVENING

TWO-DAY SAMYAK MAHADAAN CONCLUDES
SATURDAY
Kathmandu, 25 Feb.: Samyak Mahadaan held every five years is being held this year for the 470th time
The two-day Great Donation of alms hat began Friday concludes at the famous Golden Temple or Hiranyabarna Mahabihar in Lali(pur with the
large participation of Buddhist devotees.
The Mahadaan has been held every five years since 1761.
Altogether 126 Dipankar idols were brought to Lalitpur from gumbas in Kathmandu, Kirtipur, Chovar and Bhaktapur for worship and
Mahadaan.
The idols will be taken back Saturday evening after end of puja and Mahadaan.
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NELSON MANDELA HOSITALISED WITH STOMACH AILMENT
Kathmandu, 25 Feb.: Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been hospitalisedwith a stomach ailment, according to a government statement issued Saturday about the 93-year-old anti-apartd icon, AP reports from.Johannesburg.
Mandela "has had a long-standing abdominal complaint and doctors feel it needs proper specialist medical attention," President Jacob Zuma said, asking that Mandela's privacy be respected.
The statement did not say at which hospital Mandela was being treated.
Mac Maharaj, Zuma's spokesman, said he could not immediately elaborate but that he would be issuing regular updates.
Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994 after spending 27 years in prison for his fight against racist apartheid rule, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
He is officially retired and his public appearances have become increasingly rare. He was hospitalized last year for a few days with an acute respiratory infection.
Last year, Mandela took up permanent residence at his home in Qunu, in the southwestern region of South Africa where he was raised. Earlier this year, Mandela came to his Johannesburg home for what Zuma's office said would be a brief stay while maintenance was done at his Qunu home. Zuma's office said then that Mandela was in good health.
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