Shashwat Gupta Ray
India and Bhutan share a relationship that is both time-tested and forward-looking—a partnership that has matured over seven decades into one of South Asia’s most enduring examples of neighbourly cooperation. Rooted in shared history and cultural continuity, it now spans the full spectrum of development—from hydropower and transport connectivity to digital transformation and education.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Bhutan on 11–12 November 2025, coinciding with the 70th birthday of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, will reaffirm this deep friendship. During the visit, Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Punatsangchhu-II Hydropower Project, a landmark bilateral venture that will boost Bhutan’s generation capacity by nearly 40 percent. The trip underscores India’s commitment to Bhutan’s economic transformation through sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, and cross-border connectivity—cementing India’s status as Thimphu’s largest development partner.
A Civilisational Continuum: The Deep Roots of Indo–Bhutan Relations
The India–Bhutan relationship predates the modern era, grounded in centuries of cultural, religious, and commercial exchange across the Himalayas. Long before the 1949 Treaty of Friendship—later updated in 2007—the two nations were bound by shared Buddhist traditions, monastic networks, and trade routes linking the plains with the highlands. These spiritual and social connections built mutual familiarity and trust, later formalised through diplomatic cooperation after India’s independence.
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