A two-week long Araniko Art Exhibition to commemorate the "Nepali cultural envoy to China" Araniko is going on Thursday at the Nepal Art Council in Nepali capital Kathmandu.

Marking the 730th anniversary of the completion of the White Dagoba designed by Araniko, a Nepali architect, at the Miaoying Temple in Beijing, the capital of China, in 1271 and the 60th birthday of the People's Republic of China, the Nepal-China Executive Council, Embassy of the People's Republic of China and the Administrative Office of the White Pagoda Temple organized the exhibition entitled "Pictorial Biography of Araniko" kicking off on Wednesday.

On the occasion, Nepali Minister for Information and Communications Shankar Pokharel said that art played an important role in promoting Nepal-China cultural relationship. He also lauded the role played by Balabahu (Araniko's real name) to promote Nepali art in China.

Chinese ambassador to Nepal Qui Guohong said the two countries came closer in arts and culture through Araniko.

Minister Shankar Pokharel and Ambassador Qui also jointly launched a pictorial book of the first "Nepali cultural ambassador to China Araniko", born in the 13th century during the reign of Jay Bhimdev Malla in Nepal.

According to the organizers, the main purpose of publishing the pictorial biography of Araniko, "Nepal's national hero" as commented by state-run daily The Rising Nepal, was to introduce his historical merits and achievements, popularize the long development of the Nepalese and Chinese cultures and carry forward the essence of culture between Nepal and China.

 The exhibition that displays Araniko's works will last till Aug.31.