Jammu, Oct 15 (IANS): A 'Bharat Darshan' tour of a group of 18 girl students from one of the remotest villages in the country was flagged off by the commander of the army's Tiger Hill Brigade here on Thursday.

These girls belong to Darchiks village in Ladakh region. Drukpa tribals living in the village are descendants of soldiers of Alexander the Great who settled in this village while his army was withdrawing from the region, according to a folklore of the Drukpa tribals.

"Under the army's operation 'Sadbhavna' (goodwill), these 18 girl students, accompanied by two women teachers, will get an opportunity to visit places of cultural, educational, economic and historical interest in Srinagar, Jammu, Dharamsala and Chandigarh," defence spokesman Captain S.N. Acharya told IANS in Jammu.

In his address, the Tiger Hill Brigade commander said these children would experience for themselves the great strides the country has taken, both culturally and economically, which is possible only in a peaceful environment.

The 11-day tour aims to expose the young girls of Darchiks to the rich and diverse cultural heritage, economic growth and secular nature of our country. Darchiks is considered one of the only four 'Aryan' villages in the entire country, and its residents otherwise lead a very conservative life within their village.