About Bhutan

Bhutan, nestling in the heart of the great Himalaya, has for centuries remained aloof from the rest of the world. Since its doors were cautiously opened in 1974, visitors have been mesmerized: the environment is pristine, the scenery and architecture awesome and the people hospitable and charming.

Despite the huge potential of its natural resources, Bhutan emerged as one of Asia's poorest countries, shunning the 'profit at all costs' mentality of the rest of the world. With one foot in the past and one in the future, it strolls confidently towards modernization on its own terms.

History

Archaeological evidence suggest that Bhutan was inhabited by nomadic herders as early as 2000-1500 BC. Although the destruction of original documents in fires and earthquakes has left much of Bhutan's ancient history obscure, a few of the survivors that were saved from such natural disasters reveal the prominence of Buddhist tradition and mythology. Other sources rely reports from British explorers and on legend and folklore.

Recorded Bhutanese history dates back to the 747 AD when Guru Rimpoche first visited the country. Regarded as the second Buddha and the patron saint of Bhutan, he introduced the Buddhist religion in the country, providing a sense of cohesion during the middle ages.

Until the early 17th century, Bhutan was a cluster of fragmented provinces constantly at odds with each other. It was Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, a great spiritual personality and leader who brought and end to earring factions and unified the country into one nation, establishing a theocracy in 1652 and introducing a code of law. In the process of crushing several foreign invasions, mainly from Tibet, he initiated the building of many fortresses called Dzongs, which to this day, serve as centres of administration in the country.

The theocracy established by Shabdrung endured until 1907 when HRH Ugyen Wangchuck was elected as the first hereditary king of Bhutan by popular consensus. HRH Jigme Wangchuck succeeded him and ruled the country from 1926 to 1952. HRH Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, also known as the father of modern Bhutan, was king from 1952 to 1972. The present king HRH Jigme Singye Wangchuck came to the throne in 1972.

Bhutan remained under self-imposed isolation from the outside world until 1960.  The third King, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1952-1972), opened the nation’s doors to the outside world with the intitiation of planned economic development and launching of the First Five Year Plan in 1961.  Barely a decade later, Bhutan joined the United Nations and became a permanent member in 1972.

Geography

Landlocked between China in the north and India in the south, east and west, Bhutan is a small country with an area of 38,394 square kilometers. Its geography is characteristic of the Eastern Himalayas with elevation ranging from 150 meters above sea level in the south to more than 7300 meters in the north.

Bhutan is divided into three zones.
The southern zone is characteristic of low foothills and dense tropical forests. With an average temperature of 20 degree centigrade, this region is hot and humid.

The central zone is situated between 2000 and 3500 meters. While the climate in the lower valleys is semi-tropical, most of the region is alpine. The central zone is divided into three regions:

Western Bhutan
Central Bhutan, and
Eastern Bhutan

The northern zone stretches from west to east between 6800 meters to 7400 meters, forming part of the great Himalayas.

 People

Bhutanese are friendly and hospitable people.  The Bhutanese are the Drukpas meaning the inhahitants of Druk Yul.  The large majority of Bhutanese people are homogeneous group divided lingu-istically into three broad sub-groups.  These are Sharchops, (eastern region) Ngalong (western region) and Lhotshampa (southern Region).  The dialect spoken by most of the people in the eastern region is called Sharchopkha.  The people of Western Bhutan speak Dzongkha, which is the national language.  The lhotshampas are the people of the south who began settling in southern Bhutan in the beginning of the 20^th century.  They are of Nepalese origin and speak Nepali.
Besides there are a number of smaller groups, many with their own language, which form about one per cent of the population.  Some groups are :Bumthap in Bumthang,  Layapas in the north-west, Brokpas in the north-east and the Doyas in the south west Bhutan.

 Religion

Buddhism is practiced throughout the country and the majority of the Bhutanese are Buddhists. Hinduism is practiced particularly in Southern Bhutan among  Bhutanese of Nepali origin. As practiced by the Southern Bhutanese, the Hindu religion has many common saints and divinities with Vajrayana Buddhism, the school of religion prevalent in Bhutan. The main protective deity of the country, Yeshey Gonpo or Mahakala, is a Tantric Buddhist form of the Hindu God Shiva and often appears in the form of a raven.

Prior to the advent of Buddhism, various forms of animistic religions including Bon were followed in Bhutan. In some parts of the country these traditions and rituals are still practiced by minority groups. Bhutan has been home to many sages and saints over the centuries since Guru Rimpoche brought Buddhism to Bhutan in the 8th century. Kuenkhen Longchen Ramjam, Phajo Drukgom Zhigpo, Pema Lingpa, Drukpa Kuenley, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel and Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye are some of the key figures of Bhutanese Buddhism.
Drukpa Kagyu, school of Tantric Mahayana Buddhism, is official state religion. Although it is similar to Tibetan Buddhism, it has its own set of unique beliefs and practices.

Religious institutions continue to play an important role in Bhutan. Besides the formal monastic structure that is supported by the state, the monk body also includes monks and nuns who are not part of the state sponsored institutions. Monks continue to play an important role in people's daily lives. They perform religious ceremonies, and preserve and promote traditional scholarship.

The extent to which Buddhism permeates almost every aspect of life in Bhutan is evident in the art, architecture, literature, social structure, institutions, organizations and values.

National Flag

The national flag is rectangular and divided diagonally into two parts with a white dragon in the middle.  The upper yellow half signifies the country’s secular authority of the King in fruitful action in the affairs of religion and state.  The lower saffron-orange half signifies the religious practice and spiritual power of Buddhism manifested in the Drukpa Kagyu and Nyingma traditions.  The dragon symbolizes the name of the country, locally known as Druk Yul, meaning land of the thunder dragon and its white color signifies purity and loyalty of the Bhutanese people.  The snarling mouth of the dragon expresses the strength of the male and female deities protecting Bhutan while the jewels in its claws represent the wealth prosperity and perfection of the country and the people.

Dress

Bhutanese men wear gho, which are longish robes tied around the waist by a cloth belt, known as kera.  The women’s ankle length dress is known as Kira, which is made of bright coloured fine woven fabric with traditional patterns.

Arts and Crafts

Bhutan is known for handicraft items in bronze, silver and other metals.  Sculpting of religious figures is widely practiced and every temple houses large brightly painted and gilded statues of the Buddha and other saints.

National Day

National day is celebrated on 17^th December in commemoration of the accession of Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuk, the first king of Bhutan to the throne, at Punakha Dzong.

Architecture

The castle-like dzongs, with their gently tapering walls, classic lines, large courtyards and beautiful galleries, are among the finest examples of Bhutanese architecture.  Containing large monasteries inside and set in commanding position on hilltops or at the confluence of rivers, dzongs are also the administrative centers of their districts.
But, the most common architectural sight in Bhutan are the chortens or stupas which are small shrines built to house sacred relics.

Media

KUENSEL, a biweekly newspaper, is published in Dzongkha, Nepalese and English.  An online English version, updated daily, is also available on the Internet.  Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS), a national radio and TV station, broadcasts news and other programmes daily on current affairs.
Private cable operators throughout the country provide access to several regional and international TV channels.