Prime Minister Narendra Modi was gifted a unique 'Bhoj Patra' on Friday by the tribal community from the border regions of Joshimath during his visit to Uttarakhand.
Officials said tribal communities of Niti-Mana valley living in the border region of Joshimath expressed their gratitude to Modi for working to rejuvenate pilgrimage sites and appreciated his resolve to safeguard and promote Indian culture.
The 'Bhoj Patra' was presented to him by Bina Badwal, the sarpanch of Van Panchayat in Mana.
Bhojpatra tree (Himalayan Birch) is a deciduous tree growing in the western Himalayas in high altitude regions – 2500m-3500m –, they said.
Its significance is that Mahabharat and other ancient scriptures were written on the bark of the Bhojpatra tree, they said.
(inputs from PTI)
