Manmohan visits Kashmir en route to Siachen Glacier

Singh took part in a ceremony in Leh, capital of the Ladakh region, to rename the airport after a reknowned local Buddhist priest Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe.

Singh called the priest a "great teacher" and said it was "only appropriate" to call the airport after "this distinguished son of Ladakh and man of God," in remarks broadcast on India's Sahara news channel.

"We pay tribute to the memory of the architect of modern Ladakh," said Singh, whose agenda also included the inauguration of two power projects in the energy-starved region.

Leh is situated in Buddhist-dominated northeastern Kashmir, held in part by nuclear rivals India and Pakistan but claimed fully by both.

On Sunday, Singh will make the first visit by an Indian premier to the Siachen Glacier, the world's highest battlefield.