PM Narendra Modi witnesses Mongolia's famous Naadam festival

BATOR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today witnessed horse racing, traditional wrestling and archery at a mini Naadam festival here, taking time off from his hectic schedule.

Modi, dressed in traditional Mongolian attire and sporting a hat, attended the festival with Premier Chimed Saikhanbileg.

Prime Minister Modi drove to an open area in Chinggis Khuree near the airport here and spent about an hour watching horse racing, traditional wrestling and archery.

He also tried his hand at archery. Mongolian Premier Saikhanbileg also gifted a race horce to Prime Minister Modi.

The Naadam festival is also locally termed "eriin gurvan naadam" (the three games of men). The games are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery and are held throughout the country during midsummer.

Women have started participating in the archery and girls in the horse-racing games, but not in Mongolian wrestling.

In 2010, Naadam was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.