New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) With Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk on an India visit, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday recalled India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's long trek to the Himalayan nation which he said laid the foundations of the "excellent bilateral relationship" between the two countries.
Bhutan King Wangchuk began his maiden three-day trip to Assam on Friday with a visit to the famed Kamakhya Temple atop the Nilachal Hills in Guwahati. He also took the evening jeep safari at the central range of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
The King will leave for Delhi on Sunday from Jorhat airport. He is on an eight-day visit to India.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary Ramesh said, "The King of Bhutan is now visiting India. Almost exactly 65 years ago, a 69-year old Jawaharlal Nehru made a long trek to Bhutan in a visit that laid the foundations of the excellent bilateral relationship the two countries have since enjoyed."
At Nathu La in Sikkim, at roughly 14,000 feet, Nehru and his entourage were met with a dozen yaks, several ponies and a pack of over a hundred animals, he said.
The trek into Paro lasted five days and there were times when the altitude touched 15,500 feet, he said.
"All told, Nehru's to-and-fro trek was for around 105 kms for almost ten days. In his own words it was an 'exhilarating experience', romantic in some ways, but that also created diplomatic history," Ramesh said.
He also shared a documentary on Nehru's trek on the social media platform.