HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Nov 3: In a heartfelt acknowledgment, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday lauded the visit of His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, as a poignant testament to the enduring connection between Bhutan and India.
The chief minister emphasized the deep-rooted ties between the nations, citing collaborative academic linkages, infrastructural partnerships, healthcare cooperation, shared spiritual heritage, and heartfelt people-to-people relationships.
He further said that this royal visit stands as a powerful symbol of the ancient and unwavering bond that unites Bhutan and India, resonating across various spheres of cooperation and friendship.
“Druk Gyalpo’s visit is a great honour for Assam. This visit is a testament to the ancient bonding between our nations, which is exemplified by academic linkages, infrastructure partnerships, cooperation in healthcare, shared spiritual heritage and people-to-people ties,” Sarma wrote on microblogging site X.
Wangchuk on Friday began his maiden three-day tour to Assam with a visit to the famed Kamakhya Temple atop the Nilachal Hills in Guwahati.
Earlier in the day, the 43-year-old king of the neighbouring Himalayan country arrived at the Lokpriya Gopinath International Airport here and was received by the Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues and state government officials.
Sarma welcomed the king with the traditional Assamese ‘Gamosa’ (hand towel). The royal visitor greeted the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues with folded hands.
From the airport, the king went to the Kamakhya Temple where he was received by priests, Assam Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah, senior officials of the state and the Kamrup Metro district administration.
The king, draped with a traditional Buddhist yellow robe, prayed at the ‘garbhagriha’ (sanctum sanctorum) and did ‘parikrama’ (circumambulation) of the temple, besides lighting earthen lamps in obeisance to the Goddess, the temple Bor-Doloi (head priest) Kabindra Prasad Sarma told PTI.
The king also assured the temple priests that he would visit the place of worship again with his family in the future, he said.
The authorities presented a replica of the Kamakhya Temple to the royal visitor.
Various cultural troupes of different communities of Assam performed outside the airport as the king arrived here, and he responded by waving at them from his vehicle.
He will meet the Bhutanese diaspora at a hotel in the afternoon. The chief minister will also call on the king in the evening.A cultural programme and a dinner will be hosted in his honour by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria.
The king and his entourage will leave for the Kaziranga National Park, famed for its one-horned rhino, on Saturday where he will take a safari.
The royal visitor will leave for New Delhi on Sunday from Jorhat.
The chief minister said that on behalf of the people of Assam, ‘I am elated to welcome His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk, the King of Bhutan’.
“Under the guidance of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, we look forward to the strengthening of the special relationship between our two countries”, he posted on ‘X’, formerly Twitter. (With PTI inputs)
