PM Modi plants sapling at Bhutan's historic Simtoka Dzong

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday planted a Cypress tree sapling at the historic Simtoka Dzong here in the presence of his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering.

Built in 1629 by Shabdrung Namgyal, a Tibetan Buddhist lama who is regarded as the unifier of Bhutan as a nation-state, Simtoka Dzong is one of the oldest fortress in the Himalayan nation and functions as a monastic and administrative centre.

After planing the sapling, the prime minister also met with the monks of the historical monument, where projects inauguration ceremony and MoUs exchange took place for the first time ever.

"A deep-rooted spiritual connect! PM @narendramodi and @PMBhutan with monks at the Semtokha Dzong, which is an important cultural and spiritual centre in Bhutan," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) tweeted after the meeting.

Earlier, Modi and Tshering addressed a joint press meet at the dzong after launching various projects and witnessing the exchange of several MoUs between the two nations.

The prime minister, who reached Bhutan in the morning, is on a two-day visit to the Himalayan kingdom. This is Modi's second visit to Bhutan and the first since his re-election in May this year.

Earlier on his arrival at the Paro airport, where he was received by the Bhutanese prime minister, Modi received a red-carpet welcome. Waving the Indian tricolour and the Bhutanese flags, people lined up along the route from Paro to the capital city Thimphu to welcome Modi.