Bhutan Queen Jetsun Pema with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Picture by Prem Singh

New Delhi, Oct. 24: Bhutan’s king and queen will honeymoon in Rajasthan — literally, the land of kingdoms — on a special train that will take them to its forts and palaces and its tiger sanctuaries.

New Delhi has rolled out the red carpet for King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema, who arrived here yesterday on a nine-day visit and are state guests. The two got married on October 13.

Jigme Khesar was given the ceremonial guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning before he plunged into a series of meetings with the top Indian leadership.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, home minister P. Chidambaram, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari, national security adviser Shivshankar Menon and foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai met him.

In the evening, President Pratibha Patil hosted a banquet in his honour. Tomorrow, the chief of army staff will call on Jigme Khesar.

The couple are expected to visit Sonia Gandhi, who could not attend their wedding because she has recently undergone surgery for an undisclosed ailment. Rahul Gandhi is a close friend of the king’s and was one of few guests from outside Bhutan at the reception.

Jigme Khesar and Jetsun, who have both spent time in India as students, are likely to celebrate Diwali with Rahul and other friends before setting off on their honeymoon on Thursday.

Sources said the couple brushed aside security concerns and insisted on journeying through Rajasthan by train. “They thought a train journey across Rajasthan would make their honeymoon more memorable,” a source said.

Bhutan has no train network yet and India is helping the country build some rail links.

The king had visited the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary last October and returned fascinated by the state’s forts, forests and heritage hotels.

Security considerations led South Block to request Indian Railways to arrange a special train similar to the Palace on Wheels. The couple plan to visit Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur, where they are expected to be guests of the erstwhile royal families.

A seven-night-eight-day journey on the Palace on Wheels costs $500 (Rs 25,000) per night per person, including food and guided tours.

The train for the royal couple will have eight to 10 coaches, including a pantry car. Apart from the Bhutan king’s entourage, it will also have Indian security personnel. The itinerary is under wraps because of security concerns and because the couple don’t want to be chased by the media on their honeymoon.