Bhoj Patra: Joshimath tribal community’s unique gift for PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented a unique Bhoj Patra by the tribal community from the border regions of Himachal Pradesh’s Joshimath on Saturday.

The exclusive gift was an expression of gratitude by the tribal communities of Niti-Mana valley living in the Indo-China border region of Joshimath. They thanked the Prime Minister for working to rejuvenate the sacred pilgrimage sites in their area and appreciated his determination to safeguard and promote Indian culture.

The Bhoj Patra was presented by Bina Badwal, the sarpanch of Van Panchayat, in Mana village.

The Bhojpatra tree (Himalayan Birch) is a deciduous tree which grows the Western Himalayas and is usually found in higher altitude regions at nearly 2500-3500 metres above sea level.

For PM Modi’s gift, ink made from natural dyes (by mixing limestone with leaves and flowers) was used to write with a pen made from ringal.

The significance of the Himalayan Birch tree dates back to the Mahabharata, when the epics and other ancient scriptures were written on the bark of the Bhojpatra tree.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday offered rudrabhishek (first prayers) at Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath shrine and laid the foundation stone for a ropeway to be built at a cost of Rs 1267 crore for the pilgrims. The 9.7 km ropeway to Kedarnath will cut the time pilgrims take to reach the shrine from Gaurikund.

Dressed in traditional Uttarakhandi clothes, PM Modi offered prayers at the Samadhi Sthal of Adi Shankaracharya. Governor Gurmit Singh and chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami accompanied him. He also addressed a public meeting at Mana, a village around 5 km away, and laid the foundation stone for a ropeway in Hemkund.

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