Bhutan

Cloaked in lofty mystery, for centuries the world had no name for its most mountainous kingdom. Sometimes referred to as “Hidden Holy Land” or “The Southern Valley of Medicinal Herbs” or “Lotus Garden of the Gods,” the people who live in Bhutan call it Druk Yul: The Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon.

The rivers are glacial green, even from above on Google satellite maps, and there don’t seem to be many urban areas. Druk Yul doesn’t have a single traffic light; the one spot where one is needed in the largest city, Thimphu, is manned by a traffic person. Druk Yul has the distinction of being a carbon sink nation, meaning that the country with about 2,674 glacial lakes and an area about the size of Switzerland, absorbs more CO2 than it produces. There is a constitutional mandate to maintain 60% of its land under forest cover.

On the outside, it is an idyllic dream. In the Western world, the separation of church and state is championed. However, in Druk Yul, civil and religious authority merges in the tiny country of thin places that could be the closest thing to utopia on earth.

The Thunder Dragon King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema are young and beautiful and posters of them are displayed everywhere. For a peek at the royal couple and their two sons, select The Best Photos of the Bhutanese Royal Family, Starring the Adorable Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck.

When Prince William and Kate from the United Kingdom visited the country, it was clear that they were in the presence of a royal couple that at least equalled their glamour. It was also clear that Duchess Kate genuinely enjoyed playing the national sport: Da (archery). A game born of necessity against Tibetan and British invaders, there are archery festivals and tournaments, such as the Yangphel Open Archery Tournament that involves 260 teams who compete for three months. For more about the royal visit, select Prince William and Kate Meet Bhutan’s King and Queen. For more about archery in Druk Yul, select How Archery Became Bhutan’s National Sport.

Not only glamourous, the Druk Gyalpo (Thunder Dragon King in the national language, Dzongkha: language of the fortress) and his Thunder Dragon Queen (Druk Gyaltsuen) are charged with being servant-leaders who are accessible to the people. Select Druk Gyalpo’s Relief Kidu to see what that kind of servant leadership looks like in the time of COVID. In another example, the Druk Gyalpo established a festival in the far northwest of the kingdom because it was too far for the people to easily travel to another one. It’s a strenuous hike to get to Laya at an elevation of about 12,500 feet and the Druk Gyalpo was among those making the trek. For some stunning photographs and to learn more about the peoples of Druk Yul, select Livin’ it up in Laya at the 2017 Royal Highlander Festival.

In a program established by the current king’s father, the Druk Gyalpo is also charged with measuring the kingdom’s Gross National Happiness. This doesn’t mean that the people of Bhutan are happier than other people in the world. What it does mean is that there is a recognition that economic goals alone are not sufficient for development in a country and that making decisions that benefit and lead to the happiness of the people is a valued priority. 

Crack a bit beneath the craggy fortresses, prayer flag lined suspension bridges, and the beauty of the glamourous young royalty, and you see the people who often struggle to survive in a harsh environment. The country Druk Yul is a reminder that happiness has more to do with mental attitude than the circumstances of a person’s life. If there is any country that exemplifies what it means to live positively, it is Druk Yul.

The kingdom has a historic admiration for success in mediation and strives to find the Middle Path. Happiness is accrued from a balanced rather than an extreme approach to life.

Traveling in Druk Yul is highly regulated. It isn’t possible to just freely go from place to place in the country. Visitors register with a travel guiding company and pay $250 per day. That may sound high, but it covers almost everything from lodging, food, a local guide, transportation, and admissions to sites. It simplifies the experience. As an added plus, some of the money directly benefits the people of the country.

In this peaceful place, there is an abundance of rules. It is mandatory for men to wear ghos and women to wear kiras in most settings, especially at the sacred sites. It is forbidden to slaughter animals. It is forbidden to cultivate or sell tobacco. And while the rules may seem understandable yet stifling, there is an engendered respect for the country and a common desire to take care of it that caught the attention of a visitor from India. For an intriguing story and comparison between Bhutanese and Indian cultures, select Here Is Why Every Indian Should Visit Phuentsholing In Bhutan At Least Once.

It has not always been peaceful. Digging into the history, there were wars, assassinated rulers, invasions, deportations of ethnic groups, and other stories that prove that the people of Druk Yul are human like the rest of us. 

English, the main second language, is taught in school.
Here are a few words in the primary language, Dzongkha (the language of the fortress):
chhu = river
tsho = lake
kang = mount
phuk = cave
stupa = mound-like structure containing relics
kora = a kind of stupa
chorten = shrine, “seat of faith”
dzong = fortress
lhakhang = monastery
thang = field
gho = traditional dress for men, a knee-length robe
kabney = a silk scarf worn by men with a gho
kira = traditional dress for women, ankle-length dress

Here are a few phrases in Dzongkha:
kuzu zangpo la  = hello
kadin chey la = thank you
inn = yes
menn = no
gaday bay zhui? = how are you?
legshom = I’m fine

Traditional music from Druk Yul has a soothing mystical beauty not unlike the country itself. There are many kinds of flute and string instruments, often elaborately decorated. There is a long horn stretching to the ground called a dungchen that monks intone during worship that sounds like elephant song. Select Buddhist monks playing dungchen at Dhankar Gompa to hear the dungchen as played further northwest in India.  

For a beautiful song with a positive message, select Chants du Royaume du Bhoutan. The stringed instrument is a dranyen (dramyin).

To listen to another song and see and hear a range of stringed instruments, a flute, and at the center a yangchen (dulcimer) select Bhutanese Folk Instrumental Music.

For a larger group with many different flutes, colorful strings, percussive instruments, and a fun looking orchestra director, select Bhutanese Traditional Folk Music – Bhutanese Orchestra.

For some songs sung by Namkha Lhamo, including one that was written by Dechen Wangmo Wangchuck, the sister of the fourth king of Bhutan that is called Nga Gi Choe Lu, second on the video, select Tunes of Bhutan by Namkha Lhamo. The king’s sister’s song is about the vanity of a couple in love.

Colorful masked dances are common at various tsechus (festivals) throughout the kingdom. To learn more, select Bhutan’s magical mask dances and Exploring the Rich Cultural Tradition and Sacred Festivals of Bhutan. 

Druk Yul is a country with a rich oral tradition, but written literature is just beginning to emerge. Dzongkha is the kingdom’s language, however, the people also learn English and that has a broader international audience, so there is a pull between producing literature in the language of the kingdom or in the language more widely read. For more about the literature of Druk Yul, select Land of The Peaceful Thunder Dragon – The Best Literature About Bhutan, and Bhutanese literature – Rich oral tradition, but few writers, and A Great Literary Festival in Kingdom of Bhutan. 

Kunzang Choden is the first female writer from Druk Yul to write a novel in English: The Circle of Karma published in 2005. She also published books of folktales. For more, select Travel Diaries – Circle of Karma. 

The food of Druk Yul can be spicy. Chiles grow everywhere and the national dish is a combination of chile (ema) and cheese (datshi): National Dish of Bhutan – Ema Datshi.
Chugo is a hard, chewy dried cheese snack.
Chhurpi is hard, dried yak cheese.
Momos are dumplings stuffed with meat, cabbage or cheese.
Nga ja is a sweet milk tea.
Seudja is a butter tea.

The cuisine of Druk Yul includes a lot of rices and vegetables and there is little in the way of sweets. For more information, select The taste of Bhutanese food.

The Land of the Thunder Dragon from West to East:
Note that while there are dates provided for original construction of the monasteries, fortresses, shrines, and stupas listed below, in almost all cases the original structures were destroyed by the elements and time and the current representations could be considered the reincarnated forms of the original.

Jigme Khesar Strict Nature Reserve is in an area in the northwest with no human inhabitants and instead home to takin, serow, red panda, musk deer, tiger, and clouded leopard. 

Phuentsholing is in the southwest of Bhutan and has a fancy Border Gate with India. There’s also a Crocodile Breeding Center, Karbandi Monastery, and the Torsa River to the west.

Paro is the site of Bhutan’s international airport, one of the most dangerous places to land in the world with a limited list of pilots certified to make the approach. For one travelers tale, select My Experience Landing at One of the Most Dangerous Airports in the World.
Tiger’s Nest Monastery, official name Taktsang Monastery or Paro Taktsang, was built in 1692. Just north of Paro, there is a a three mile hike up to the monastery on the side of a cliff. The Tiger’s Nest name comes from the legend that Guru Rimpoche was carried there on the back of a tigress in the 7^th century AD and the monastery was built about a thousand years later at the site of the cave where he meditated.
Kyichu Lhakhang was built in 639 (some reports say 659, but this seems unlikely because Songsten Gampo died in 649, although not impossible in a land where time and lifespans are a bit more fluid) by Songsten Gampo, the first Buddhist king of Tibet. Legends says Kyichu Lhakhang was built on the left foot of an ogress (or demoness) who tried to stop the spread of Buddhism.
Rinpung Dzong is the “Fortress on a Hill of Jewels” in Paro.
Drukgyel Dzong was built in 1649 by Namgyal and ruins of the fortress remain today near Paro.

Thimphu, on the banks of the river Thimphu Chhu, is the capital and largest “city” of Bhutan with a population of just under 100,000. There isn’t a street light in Thimphu.
Tashichho Dzong (Fortress of the Glorious Religion) was originally built in 1216 by Lama Gyalwa Lhanapa. In the 1640s, Namgyal, the Bearded Lama, took over the fortress and it continued to be enlarged since that time. Tashichho Dzong has been the seat of government in Thimphu since 1952.
Buddha Dordenma Statue emanates peace and happiness to the world from a hill in Kuenselphodrang Nature Park in Thimphu. It is a place for gatherings and speakers.
National Memorial Chorten is a large white structure with golden spires and bells near the center of Thimphu. Chorten means “seat of faith” or “shrine.” are Buddhist shrines; chorten means “seat of faith”) 
Denchencholing Palace was built in 1953 by the third king of Bhutan: Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. 
Clock Tower Square is an important gathering place in Thimphu.
Motithang Takin Preserve just west of Thimphu is full of trails and the national animal of Bhutan: the takin, a fascinating horned bovine sort of creature. 
Semtokha (Simtokha) Dzong is just outside of Thimphu. Its name means “Atop a Demon” and it was built in 1629 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to suppress evil. 
Dochula Pass Meditation Caves, just north of Thimphu, have 108 little chortens in honor of Bhutanese soldiers, and meditation caves for those seeking refuge from modern day stress. The Dochula Pass Meditation Caves were the vision of the Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck. 

Jigme Dorji National Park, the largest protected area in Druk Yul, is home to sacred peaks, glaciers, lakes, snow leopard, takin, Bengal tiger, black bear, blue sheep, red panda. Jigme Dorji National Park has some of the most popular trails in the kingdom.

Gasa Dzong among the high peaks of the Himalayas in the northwest of the kingdom has a rounded shape. 

Punakha, the former capital of Druk Yul, is at the confluence of two rivers (chuus) Mo and Pho. Punakha was the original capital of Druk Yul until 1955. It is still used as a winter residence because it is one of the warmer areas of the kingdom.
Punakha Dzong, at the confluence of the Mo and Pho Chhus, was built in 1637 by Namgyal and is considered by many to be the most beautiful of the dzongs in Druk Yul.
Punakha Suspension Bridge is the longest in the country with prayer flags lining the path over the beautiful green waters of the Pho Chhu.
To read the Romeo and Juliet legend of an old abandonded house in Punakha, select Galem and Singye – the story of immortal lovers.
Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten was built by the Queen Mother Ashi Yangdon Wangchuck as a temple dedicated to the kingdom’s well-being.
Punakha Tshechu is a three day festival in February or March commemorating the birthday of Guru Padmasambhava (Rinpoche) with masked dances and chants.

Wangdue Phodrang is in central Bhutan at the confluence of a number of natural parks and reserves.
The Wangdue Tshechu (festival) lasts three days in the autumn and includes the Raksha Mangcham (Dance of the Ox) and various mask dances.

Chimi Lhakhang, built in 1499 by a Buddhist munk known for his unconventional methods, is the “Fertility Temple” known to bless childless couples. He began the national practice of displaying phallic symbols, said to ward off evil, also known as “The Thunderbolt of Flaming Wisdom.” Do not be surprised if you see phallic symbols on houses and other buildings.

Gangtey Lhakhang was built in 1613 and has a stunning view of the U-shaped glacial Phobjikha Valley, home to the black-necked cranes and an annual festival.

Trongsa Dzong, in the middle of the kingdom with white walls and red roofs, is the largest dzong (fortress) in Druk Yul. Trongsa means “new village.”
The Tower of Trongsa (Trongsa Ta Dzong) is a five-storey watch tower up the hill from Trongsa Dzong.

Jakar (Chamkhar) is a town in the western part of Druk Yul along the banks of the glacial green Bumthang Chhu (river). Bumthang essentially means “beautiful field.” There are a number of historic sites in and around Jakar.
Jakar Dzong, the “Fortress of the White Bird,” was built in 1549 by Lama Nagi Wangchuck. It has a 50-meter high Utse (tower) and a protected water supply.
Jambey (Jambay) Lhakhang in Jakar was one of the storied monasteries built by the Tibetan king Songsten Gampo in 639 (some sources say 659, but since Songsten Gampo died in 649 this seems unlikely, although not impossible in Bhutan where dates and lives are a bit more fluid) to prevent the ogress (demoness) from stopping the spread of Buddhism. 
Kurjey Lhakhang, just north of Jakar, is a complex of temples built at various times. One of the temples was built where Guru Padmasambhava (Rinpoche) meditated in a cave and was storied to have left his fingerprints and footmarks (Kurjey means “body imprint”) in addition to the staff that budded a cypress tree. The Kurjey Tschechu festival is celebrated each June or July and includes a masked dance. 
Tamshing (Tamzhing) Lhakhang, built in 1501, is a school that teaches the Dharma to children and is known for its wall paintings. It is on the other side of Bumthang Chhu from Kurjey Lhakhang. 
Lhodrak Kharchu Monastery is a teaching monastery just south of Jakar.

Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park in the south-central part of the country is a great place for Bengal tigers.

Royal Manas National Park, rich in tropical and subtropical plants and animals, is called Bhutan’s crown jewel.

Trashigang Dzong (Fortress of the Auspicious Hill) was built in 1659 and intimidated invaders because it looks like it is suspended in the sky.
Gom Kora on Drangme Chhu is near Trashigang.

Trashiyangtse Dzong is one of the oldest dzongs in Bhutan. 
Chorten Kora is a whitewashed stupa from 1740 on Kulong Chhu. 

Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary has over 300 species of bird including the wintering black-necked cranes. Snow leopards, red pandas, langurs (monkeys), and even Bengal tigers make appearances, too.

Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is on the eastern border with the Indian state Arunachal Pradesh.
For an article about recent claims by China on territory in Bhutan, perhaps another attempt to rewrite history to national advantage, select Why Bhutan’s Sakteng wildlife sanctuary is disputed by China.

Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary is right at the southeastern corner bordering Arunachal Pradesh, India and is home to elephants, guars, pygmy hogs, and hispid hares. 

For an indepth travel article about a visit to Druk Yul in 2014, select Kuzu Zangpo la – Greetings from Bhutan.

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