NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Bhutan on a state visit on November 11-12, during which he will inaugurate the 1,020 MW Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project along with Bhutan king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
The project, built on the Punatsangchhu river, has been developed jointly by India and Bhutan, for which Delhi provided funding and tech support.
A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Modi’s visit will seek “to strengthen the special ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries and is in keeping with the tradition of regular bilateral high-level exchanges”.
Modi will also participate in the 70th birth anniversary celebrations of the Bhutanese king and meet Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.
The visit coincides with the exposition of the Piprahwa relics of the Buddha from India in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu. India recently acquired the relics, believed to be the remains of the Buddha and discovered in 1898, after they were slated to be auctioned in Hong Kong. Modi will offer prayers to the relics at Tashichhodzong in Thimphu and will participate in the Global Peace Prayer Festival organised by the Bhutanese government.
Modi’s visit comes after foreign secretary Vikram Misri met Bhutanese Prime Minister Tobgay last month and held discussions on the bilateral relations. He also met the Bhutan king and its foreign minister.
The MEA said that in the statement that India and Bhutan “share a unique and exemplary partnership marked by deep mutual trust, goodwill, and respect for each other”. It said that the Prime Minister’s visit would provide an opportunity for both sides to deliberate on ways to further enhance and strengthen our bilateral partnership.
Piprahwa relics of Buddha reach Thimphu
India sent sacred relics of the Buddha, kept at National Museum in Delhi, to Bhutan for a 11-day public exposition that started on Saturday. The exposition also showcases the Piprahwa relics that India stopped from auctioning in Hong Kong.
The exposition is part of the Global Peace Prayer Festival in Thimphu, an event praying for world peace and which coincides with the 70th birth anniversary of Jigme Singye Wangchuk, the father of Bhutan king Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck.
The historic visit, a collaborative effort between the ministry and the International Buddhist Confederation, marks the second time these sacred relics have been to Bhutan. The first was in 2011 on the wedding of the present Bhutan king.
The relics will be enshrined for public veneration at the Kuenrey Hall of Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu.