Bhutan’s Queen Mother Says Buddhism Among India’s Greatest Gifts To Their Nation, Calls India Land Of The Enlightened 

Delivering the opening address at the ninth edition of the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival, Bhutanese Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck called Buddhism as one of India’s greatest gifts to Bhutan.

Press Trust of India reported the Queen Mother as having stated that Bhutanese preferred looking at India as “the land of the enlightened” owing to the origins of the religion in India. She further believes that Buddhism is a “shared spiritual heritage” between the two countries and would remain as the unchanging constant in their age-old relationship.

The Queen Mother also expounded on the history of Indo-Bhutanese relations starting from the foundations laid by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. In a bid to highlight the close ties enjoyed by both nations, the Queen Mother also recalled the critical part played by India in spurring development work in the Himalayan nation and the coordination displayed by the two countries in repulsing threats to security arising from militancy.

The Literary Festival, a three-day affair, features a range of speakers discussing varied topics ranging from environment, music, theatre and history and marks 50 years of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan.