PM Modi conferred Bhutan’s highest civilian honour Order of the Druk Gyalpo

The King of Bhutan on Friday conferred the Order of the Druk Gyalpo on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who became the first foreign head of government to receive Bhutan’s highest civilian honour. The Order of the Druk Gyalpo holds immense significance within Bhutan’s honour system, symbolising a lifetime of outstanding achievements and contributions to society.
The Order of the Druk Gyalpo takes precedence over all orders, decorations and medals.
Since its institution, the award has been conferred upon only four eminent personalities.
Previous recipients of the award include Queen Grandmother of Bhutan Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck in 2008; Je Thrizur Tenzin Dendup (68th Je Khenpo of Bhutan) in 2008 and Je Khenpo Trulku Ngawang Jigme Choedra in 2018. Je Khenpo is the chief Abbot of the central monastic body of Bhutan.
“Honoured to be conferred with ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’ Award by Bhutan. I dedicate it to 140 crore Indians,” Modi posted on X soon after.
The announcement for the honour was made by the King of Bhutan during the 114th National Day celebrations on December 17, 2021. On Friday, Prime Minister Modi received it during his two-day State visit, his third since he took over as the prime minister in 2014.
A statement from the Indian Embassy in 2021, when the announcement was made, said, “As per ranking and precedence established, the Order of the Druk Gyalpo was instituted as the decoration for lifetime achievement and is the pinnacle of the honor system in Bhutan, taking precedence over all orders, decorations and medals.”
PM Modi arrived in Bhutan on Friday after his scheduled visit was postponed for a day due to inclement weather conditions at Paro International Airport. Modi said he was grateful to the Bhutanese people for according to him a “memorable welcome” to their beautiful country and hoped that India-Bhutan friendship “keeps scaling new heights.”