The 70th Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choedra arrived in Bhutan on Friday after his recent visit to neighbouring India.
As he landed at Paro Airport, the 70th Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choedra was received by newly-appointed Bhutan Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering, Foreign Minister Tandin Dorji, Home Minister Sherub Gyeltshen and Information & Communications Minister Karma D. Wangdi.
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Informing this on its official Twitter account, the office of the Prime Minister of Bhutan on Friday stated: “His Holiness the 70th Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choedra arrived in the country today. Lyonchhen Dr Lotay Tshering, Foreign Minister Tandin Dorji, Home Minister (Dasho) Sherub Gyeltshen and Information & Communications Minister Karma D. Wangdi received His Holiness at the Paro.”
The 70th Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choedra left for India on November 9, 2018 to preside over the salang or groundbreaking ceremony to construct a Bhutanese Lhakhang and Moenlam Chhenmo (great prayer) at Rajgir in India’s Bihar.
The 70th Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choedra was accompanied by three Lopons of the Zhung Dratshang, the Laytshog Lopon, the Yonten Lopon and the Tshoki Lopon and senior officials from Dratshang Lhentshog.
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A report published on Tuesday by Kuensel stated that the seven-day Moenlam Chhenmo (the great prayer ceremony) presided over by the 70th Je-Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choeda with Gyelsay Trulku at Rajgir completed successfully on November 18.
The report quoted Dratshang Lhentshog’s secretary Karma Tshering Namgyal as saying: “The great prayer ceremony was conducted without any obstacles or mishaps to the devotees.”
The report also stated this was the first time that 70th Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choedra presided over the Moenlam Chhenmo in India.
More than 1,800 monks from Bhutan and 700 monks from Darjeeling and Ladakh, India and Nepal along with more than 10,000 devotees attended the Moenlam Chhenmo that began on November 12.
The Dratshang Lhentshog’s secretary said that some devotees and monks also organised a programme to give break to the horses pulling chariots.
He said that the devotees requested the charioteers to give break to the horses and for two days. The owners of the horses were paid daily wage to keep the horses free until the end of the prayer ceremony, it added.
The Zhung Dratshang stated on its facebook page: “There are more than 100 chariots that run in Rajgir town and it is their age old culture inherited since mighty king Bimbisara and also a source of income in family during the peak seasons.”
It has been reported that a team of 120 DeSuups joined the devotees to control the crowd during the great prayer ceremony.
His Holiness the 70th Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choedra arrived in the country today.
Lyonchhen Dr Lotay Tshering, Foreign Minister Tandin Dorji, Home Minister (Dasho) Sherub Gyeltshen and Information & Communications Minister Karma D. Wangdi received His Holiness at the Paro. pic.twitter.com/kcB9DvVXwO
— PM Bhutan (@PMBhutan) November 23, 2018
Lyonchhen Dr Lotay Tshering, Foreign Minister Tandin Dorji, Home Minister (Dasho) Sherub Gyeltshen and Information & Communications Minister Karma D. Wangdi received His Holiness at the Paro.
This morning, Lyonchhen Dr Lotay Tshering met His Excellency Mr. Jishnu Roy Choudhury, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to Bhutan. Formal diplomatic ties between Bhutan and Bangladesh were established in 1971.