Team Blitz India
WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on June 21 gifted a handcrafted sandalwood box with ‘Das Danam’ to US President Joe Biden and a lab-grown green diamond to First Lady Jill Biden.
The gifts were exchanged during the private dinner hosted by Joe Biden and Jill PM Modi at the White House.
The special sandalwood box presented to US President Joe Biden has been handcrafted by a master craftsman from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The sandalwood sourced from Mysore, Karnataka has intricately carved flora and fauna patterns, officials said.
The box contains a silver idol of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu deity considered as the destroyer of obstacles and the one who is worshipped first among all gods. The idol has been handcrafted by a family of fifth-generation silversmiths from Kolkata.
The box also contains a diya (oil lamp) that occupies a sacred space in every Hindu household. This silver diya has also been handcrafted by artisans from the family of fifth-generation silversmiths in Kolkata. The copper plate also called tamper-Patra has been sourced from Uttar Pradesh and a shloka has been inscribed on it.
