GUWAHATI: King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck arrived at Guwahati in Assam on Friday (November 03) on a three-day visit to Assam.
The Bhutanese King was received by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other state government and central officials.
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The Bhutanese King and his entourage arrived at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) airport in Guwahati, Assam by a special Druk Air flight on Friday forenoon.
During his visit, King will attend various programmes in Guwahati and also visit Kamakhya temple and Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
“After spending the first day in Guwahati with various engagements, he will go to Kaziranga on Saturday. The king will spend a night there too and then proceed to New Delhi from Jorhat on Sunday for the next leg of India trip,” said Dasho Tsering Wangda, vice-president of Bhutan India Friendship Association.
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He will first visit Kamakhya temple atop Nilachal hill in Guwahati and then hold interactions with people of the Bhutanese community at Radisson Blu Hotel, where the monarch will also be staying.
The king will be attending a dinner hosted by Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria in his honour on Friday and fly to Jorhat the next morning for a Kaziranga National Park visit.
Assam, which shares a 267 km boundary with Bhutan, shares a unique relationship with the neighboring country.
There is a deep-rooted friendship between Bhutan and Assam. The historic visit of the Bhutanese King to Assam is a testament to the deep-rooted friendship between the two countries.
Historically, Bhutanese kings traveled to Royal Manas National Park via Barpeta Road in Assam.
Historic Assam visit of King of Bhutan to strengthen bilateral ties
In the world where geography is a constant, it is often said that true friendship transcends boundaries.
Such is the case with the Kingdom of Bhutan and Assam, where historical records bear testament to their enduring bond.
Spanning over 265 kilometers of international border, the two neighbours have shared an unbreakable relationship and friendship for centuries, except for a brief period of unease between the 1990s and 2020.
After centuries of harmonious co-existence, the strong bond between Bhutan and Assam faced a challenging test from various insurgent groups along their shared border for nearly two decades.
While these insurgencies posed serious security concerns for both the countries, the leaders of these friendly neighbours consistently prioritised their relationship and adeptly resolved the issues amicably.
In the annals of Assam and Bhutan’s history, there has never been an official visit by the King of Bhutan to Guwahati.
Official responsibilities and geographical realities had previously led to greater interaction with the central government in New Delhi.
Against this backdrop, the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will make a historic three-day visit to Assam from today (November 3) to Sunday (November 5), extending the goodwill of the Bhutanese people, fortifying the friendship, and demonstrating solidarity with Assam and India for their crucial role in ensuring unprecedented peace in the region.
This historic visit not only signifies the deep-rooted friendship between Bhutan and Assam but also strengthens the ties between these neighbours, fostering a brighter and more harmonious future for the entire region.