Bhutan, or Druk Yul (“Land of the Thunder Dragon”) as the inhabitants refer to it, is still a mystical and obscure location that has only just begun to emerge in specialist tour operator catalogues. Bhutan exemplifies what many people think of as a cliché. The country has succeeded in retaining its independence and ancient way of life despite being hidden in the southern folds of the Himalayas and being barred to foreigners for millennia.
Natural barriers defend Bhutan’s 18,000 sq mile (47,000 sq km) area: in the north, the huge Himalayan range forms the boundary with Tibet (China) and is crossed by few passes, most of which are snowbound in winter. A dense tropical forest in the south, teeming with wild animals and small but dangerous leeches, serves as an effective barrier between Bhutan’s core valley and the Indian plains of Bengal and Assam.
It used to take a five-day travel from India to the middle of the country before the first road was completed in 1962. Bhutan, like Nepal, is a massive staircase: the terrain leaps up to 25,000 feet (7,600 m) along the border peaks, barely 93 miles (150 kilometres) away, from the 1,000-foot (300 m) height of the southern periphery.
In Bhutan, changes in ecological patterns over a short distance are widespread. One of its most appealing features is the stark contrasts. A one-day journey is sometimes sufficient from subtropical lowlands with rice and banana trees to broad yak pastures.
Despite its diversity, Bhutan is a completely traditional country—so uniform, in fact, that citizens are required by law to wear national attire to work. Bhutan’s 1.2 million people are mostly Buddhists who adhere to traditional Buddhist ideals. They respect authority and believe in hierarchy. The white prayer flags floating on hillsides, as well as the countless instances of religious buildings, demonstrate the country’s significant religious influence.
Such is the Buddhist religion that failed climbing excursions are attributed to the displeasure of deities.
Bhutanese people are content with their way of life and take great care to maintain their traditions and culture. This is accomplished by imposing a limit on the number of visitors permitted to the country. Tourists are also only allowed to enter the nation if they are part of a party of at least six people. While Bhutan’s relative inaccessibility is exacerbated by rigorous entrance requirements, it is also guaranteed to stay delightfully unspoiled, with just the right amount of mysterious charm.
Religious History of Bhutan
Bhutanese society has always been hierarchical, with three major groups: nobles, peasantry, and slaves. Another hierarchy based on theological training and religious function, the Buddhist clergy, had a particular connection with them, and its members enjoyed great social status regardless of their birthright. The nobles lived similarly to the rest of society, with the exception that they had access to the country’s limited resources and political authority. The peasants, who made up the majority of the population, were tenant farmers who lived on semi-feudal estates of the herds and occasionally fought as soldiers when battle broke out between province chiefs. There were also slaves of Indian ancestry whose forebears had been Bhotes’ prisoners.
The Bhotes make up the majority of Bhutan’s population. There are also a huge number of Nepalese, a few Indians of various castes, and at least two tribal groups, the Lepcha and the Santal. The population is concentrated in the country’s southern border and in the country’s northern high valleys, particularly those near the western end of the east-west lateral route.
Geography of Bhutan
Bhutan’s three primary zones are: the foothills, which have a tropical environment and lush flora; the inner Himalayas, which have moderate weather; and the high Himalayas.
The foothills are mostly inhabited Nepalis, the inner Himalayas are mostly Drukpas, and the high Himalayas are mostly semi-nomads who live on yak-related goods.
All of the mountain ranges, with the exception of the border Himalayan range, run north to south, establishing genuine boundaries between the various areas of the core region.
Western, middle, and eastern Bhutan can be split longitudinally into three zones.
Western Bhutan is the rice basket of Bhutan and is comprised of the valleys of Ha, Paro, Thimpu, Punakha, and Wangdiphodrang. Orchards producing apples, plums, and peaches are located along mild slopes. The upper parts of the mountains are covered with coniferous woods. The western Bhutanese, known as “nagalong,” are undoubtedly the wealthiest of all Bhutanese, as seen by the size and décor of their homes, the cuisine they eat, and the way they serve their meals.
Central Bhutan, on the other hand, has a quite different outlook. Wheat, barley, and buck wheat are the principal crops because rice cannot grow at such elevations. The highland pastures are home to big herds of sheep and yaks. People in Bumthang’s main valley are fiercely loyal to their language and proud of their culture and religious traditions.
The Sharchops, or “people of the East,” live in eastern Bhutan, which comprises the districts of Mongar, Tashigang, Samdrupjongkhar, and the lower portion of Lhuntshe.
The characteristic features of this area are a milder temperature, steep, barren slopes in many places, settlements situated high in the mountains, and corn fields.
Religion
Religion is a defining aspect of Bhutan; around 75% of the population is Buddhist, and Buddhism is the state religion. Throughout the nation, there are around eight main monasteries and about 200 lesser shrines. Bhutan has a long religious history that dates back to the seventh century. Bhutan was then known as “the Southern Country of the Mons”.
King Songtsengampo, a Tibetan, established two monasteries in Paro Valley and Bumthang Valley. These were the country’s earliest Buddhist institutions, but it wasn’t until the eighth century that the Indian mystic Padmasambhava (or Guru Rinpoche) formed the Nyingmapa religious school in Bhutan that Buddhism was first introduced on a broad scale.
Buddhism resurfaced in the 11th century after two centuries of obscurity, sweeping over the country. The religion spread throughout Tibet in the 12th century, prompting missionary activity in Bhutan. In western Bhutan, the Lhapas, a branch of the Kagyupa School, arrived first, followed by the Drukpas, another branch of the Kagyupa School. These two schools competed for religious and economic domination in western Bhutan until the Drukpas triumphed in the 17th century. Other schools, however, began to establish in western Bhutan in the 13th century. There were also the Sakyapas, Nenyingpas, and another subsect of the Drukpas, in addition to the Nyingmapas, Lhapas, and Drukpas.
When the Shabdrung Nagawang Namgyel arrived in 1616, everything changed. Nagawang Namgyel, a member of the Drukpas’ royal line, escaped his monastery in Tibet and sought safety in Bhutan. He assumed the title of Shabdrung (‘to whose feet one submits’) and began to subjugate Western Bhutan to Drukpa rule. Simultaneously, he confronted and repelled many Tibetan invasions. The Shabdrung created a judicial and political framework for the nation. Each valley was ruled by a stronghold, or dzong, which served as a religious and administrative centre, and each dzong was led by a dzongpon, or “chief of the fort.” Penlops (governors) ruled over three main regions.
The Shabdrung progressively unified the central and eastern portions of the nation under Drukpa control with the support of local friends and a lot of political savvy. The Shabdrung left an initial dual system of governance when he died in 1651, which lasted until Bhutan established a monarchy in 1927. There were two high monks under the Shabdrung’s rule: one was the temporal ruler or Desi, and the other was the Je Khenpo, the leader of the monk-body. This type of administration resulted in political stagnation and inter-factional battles throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, allowing governors to expand their powers. Two prominent rulers of Tongsa and Paro arose towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Ugyen Wangchuk, a Tongsa penlop, overcame his opponent in the subsequent conflict. He maintained strong connections with the British under the guidance of Kazi Ugyen Dorje. Due to a disagreement over the Duar foothills in the nineteenth century, ties between the two deteriorated. The Treaty of Sinchula, signed in 1865, required Bhutan to relinquish its rights to the fertile Duars in return for an annual stipend from the British. Ugyen Wangchuck was knighted by the British in 1905 for his involvement in the Younghusband expedition to Tibet and for helping to stabilise the kingdom. In 1907, he was declared king.
The monarchy signified the end of years of internal strife and ensured stability. After Ugyen Wangchuck’s death in 1926, his son Jigme Wangchuck ascended to the throne and ruled peacefully until 1952. Jigme Dorje Wangchuck, his son, is known as the Father of Modern Bhutan. His administration saw the country gradually open up to the rest of the world, beginning with its admission to the United Nations in 1971. The first Five-Year Plan for economic and social growth was introduced in 1961. Following his father’s death in 1972, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck continued to push this progressive development agenda while preserving the country’s traditional and cultural traditions.
Handicrafts in Bhutan
Weaving is a traditional Bhutanese handcraft that women take great delight in. The bulk of the populace still wears handwoven textiles on a daily basis, and weaving, like other Bhutanese traditions, is prospering. Raw silk (bura), refined silk (seyshy), cotton, sheep wool, and yak hair are some of the yarns used by nomads. These yarns are woven on three types of looms: the conventional backstrap body-tensioned loom, the ‘tablet’ or ‘card’ loom, which is solely used to weave belts, and the third, more recently introduced, the loom with pedals, which is used to weave woollen garments.
Each fabric is given a unique name based on the colour and pattern combination. Some of the textiles take months to make because they employ the brocade method, which involves weaving a supplemental weave into the background weave to create complicated and stunning motifs. Bhutanese silversmiths and goldsmiths construct intricately sculpted betel and lime boxes, as well as the komas (clips) that are used in garments, bracelets, ceremonial teapots, bowls, and liquor containers. Bhutan manufactures a vast assortment of cane, bamboo, and rattan artefacts, including bags, quivers, liquor containers, bows and arrows, strainers, the famed airtight containers known as banchung, and modern comforts like table mats and lamp shades, thanks to its enormous rainforests.
In Bhutan, several centuries-old customs are practised on a daily basis. A long robe hitched up to the knees and kept in place with a little belt is worn by men. The onju or gyenja, a buttonless blouse, is worn with the kira, a big piece of cloth wrapped around the torso and kept in place by the komas (silver clips) at the shoulders and the kara (a tight belt). The togo, a tiny jacket, is frequently worn over the kira. The kabney, a ceremonial scarf, is worn during religious and governmental ceremonies. A scarf for guys is a long piece of material that is loosely wrapped around the torso. White scarves are worn by the ordinary man, crimson by prominent officials, and deep orange by ministers.
The king is dressed in yellow. The women are dressed in red flowery scarves. Bhutanese males exclusively wear gold rings, which might be simple or embellished with turquoise or coral. Women use beautiful silver chains called japtha in addition to silver komas. Gold and silver bracelets with dragons or floral motifs are among the other accessories. Huge corals, strings of pearls, and gold lockets are common features of necklaces used primarily on special occasions.
Main Tourist Destinations in Bhutan
- Thimpu
- Paro
- Trongsa
- Wangdue
- Phodrang
- Bumthang
- Punakha
- Dzongkhag
- Probjikha Valley
- Trashi Yangtse DzongKhag
- Trashigang DzongKhag
