Information about Bhutan
Bhutan, the mystic Himalayan kingdom is the last Shangri-la on
this earth. Bhutan is bordered by its great neighbours, India
and China. Bhutan is only one third of the size of Nepal, but
slightly larger than Switzerland. Bhutan, is known to the
world by several names such as the 'the Last Shangri-La' or
'the Last Place on the Roof of the World'. Though the original
name from the time of Marco Polo was 'Bootan', the natives
prefer to call their country as 'Druk Yul', or the 'Land of
the Peaceful Thunder Dragon'. Druk
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Yul means ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’,
which can also be seen on its flag. The kingdom of Bhutan lies
nestled in the folds of the mighty Himalayas. It is also the
most mysterious and the least modernized country in South
Asia. Monarchy, under the reign of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck
exists in Bhutan. The capital of Bhutan is Thimphu. The
national language of Bhutan is Dzongkha, with each region
having its own dialect. Buddhism is the dominant religion, and
some percentage of the population are Hindus. English is also
understood and spoken in some parts of Bhutan. Its total
population is two million people with a mix of Bhotes, ethnic
Nepalis and indigenous or migrant tribes. The people of Bhutan
are warm, hospitable and always smiling. They love to meet and
entertain foreign visitors. The climate of Bhutan differs from
place to place, such that you can experience different climate
as you move from one place to another. Some of the tourist
places in Bhutan are now accessible by road. Much of the
rugged beauty of the country can also be seen along these
roads. The visit to Dzonga and temples enables the tourists to
experience the past and present of Bhutan.
History of Bhutan
The written history on Bhutan belongs to the seventh century,
when Buddhism reached the land. The temples built during that
time still stands, revered by the Bhutanese. A century later,
the saint, Padmasambhava, spread the Buddhism faith throughout
Bhutan. After a long period of internal strife, the country
was united by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal who consolidated his
spiritual and temporal authority over Bhutan with some
frequent battles with Tibetan and Mongolian armies. Shabdrung
means at whose feet one submits. The Shabdrung established the
Drukpa Kagyupa tradition of Mahayana Buddhism, from which
Bhutan derives its native name of Druk Yul. The sect has
continued to live still without interruption as the state
religion. Bhutan also remained isolated and independent for
centuries. For 300 years, following the arrival of westerners,
only 13 European expeditions passed through Bhutan’s borders.
The present King’s grandfather Ugyen Wangchu was elected as
the first King of Bhutan in 1907. The monarch has thrived ever
since and the present King Jigme Singye Wangchuck receives
overwhelming love and support of his people. Bhutan has also
made a treaty agreement with India under which it accepts
India's guidance in foreign relations and at the same time, it
also tries to retains its independence. It has also been
consistently cautious with respect to contact with outside
world. The flow of foreign tourists and the speed of social
and economic changes are also controlled by the Bhutan
government. The government has also made considerable efforts
to uphold traditional values and beliefs, and strongly guards
the country’s religious and cultural traditions.
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Geography of Bhutan
Bhutan is situated in the heart of the great Himalayas,
the world’s mightiest mountain ranges. Bhutan is a
landlocked country surrounded by mountains. The kingdom
of Bhutan is spread over an area of 75,000 square kms.
It is bordered in the north and north-east by Tibet and
in the west and east by rugged mountain ranges that
separates Bhutan from India and the states of Arunachal
Pradesh and Sikkim, in the south
by Assam and
West Bengal. In the far north, it is bordered by the snow clad
peaks of the Himalayas, some of them soaring over 7500 meters
high and extend southward losing height, to form the fertile
valleys of the Lesser Himalayas that are divided by the Wang,
Sunkosh, Trongsa and Manas rivers. The entire country is
virtually mountainous, the 7554-m Kulha Gangri on the Tibetan
border being the highest. In the south, the foothills of the
Himalayas merge into the forest of Sikkim and north-eastern
plains of West Bengal and Assam. North to south, Bhutan
features three geographic regions, namely, the high Himalayas
of the north, the hills and valleys of the interior, and the
foothills and plains of the south. Its great rivers helped to
carve its topography and their enormous potential for
hydropower has helped shape the economy. Monsoon influences
promote dense forestation in this region and alpine growth at
higher altitudes. The cultivated central uplands and Himalayan
foothills support the majority of the population. In the
south, the Daurs Plain drops sharply away from the Himalayas
into the large tracts of semi-tropical forest, savannah
grassland and bamboo jungle. Forests and woodlands cover 70%
of Bhutan’s total area.
Climate of Bhutan
The climate of Bhutan varies from the subtropical to the
arctic and region to region. The climate within the mountains
varies greatly according to precipitation and wind conditions.
In the Duars plain and up to 1500 meters, the climate is
sub–tropical with high humidity and heavy rainfall. The
low–lying parts of Punakha, Mongar, Tashigang and Lhuntse have
cool winters and hot summers, whereas the higher valleys of
Ha, Paro, Thimpu, Tongsa and Bumthang receives a temperate
climate with cold snowy winters and cooler summers. The
monsoons starts in mid June and lasts until the end of
September. Most of the towns also have warm and autumn days
with cool nights in spring, cold and sunny skies in winter and
warm, generally sunny summer with light monsoon rainfall. The
temperatures also varies greatly between day and night at
different altitudes. Layered clothing for changing conditions
is thus recommended.
Flora and Fauna in Bhutan
Like the climate, there is also wide difference in the
flora and fauna of the country. The rivers of Bhutan
falls down from the frozen glaciers to feed the fertile
valleys. Bhutan is a botanist paradise. In the ancient
times, Bhutan was also known as Southern Valley of
Medicinal Herbs. Fern and forests of pine, oak and other
deciduous trees are found at the lower altitudes,
whereas the evergreen forests like pine, spruce,
hemlock, cypress and juniper are found in the higher
altitudes. Mountains of
rhododendrons
blaze with colors in the spring. Even on the high mountain
passes above the tree line, tiny alpine flowers can be seen
dotting the wind-swept ground. Magnolias, carnivorous plants,
rare orchids, blue poppy (the national flower), edelweiss,
gentian, medicinal plants, daphne, giant rhubarb abound here.
Some of the rare and exotic faunas found in Bhutan are the
golden langur, red pandas, black-necked crane, snow leopard,
Takin or wild boar, musk deer, Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan
marten, tiger, hornbills, pheasants, mountain goats and timid
blue sheep. In the higher altitudes, herds of yaks and blue
sheep can be seen. The Manas wildlife sanctuary is the only
wildlife sanctuary in Bhutan which extends into Assam.
Elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, buffalo, deer and Bhutan’s golden
langoor monkeys are found in plenty in the sanctuary.
People of Bhutan
The people of Bhutan can be divided into three broad ethnic
types. These types are the Sharchops, who live mostly in the
eastern region; the Ngalops, who live in the western part of
Bhutan, and the people of Nepalese origin who live in the
southern part of Bhutan. Over 50% of the population are
Bhotiyas, of Tibetan origin. The majority of them belong to
the Tibeto–Burmese language group. There are a large number of
Nepalese who belongs largely to tribes such as the Rai, Gurung
and Limbu. Since 1959, the immigration of Nepalese has been
banned and Nepalese are not allowed to move into the central
plain. There are various other tribes like the Lepchas, an
indigenous people and the Santals, who migrated from North
Bihar. The unity of the Bhutanese people and independence of
the country is under control of the state religion, Buddhism.
There is very limited religious freedom, as government and
social pressure do not allow for public expressions of other
faiths. The people of Bhutan always keep smiling and are very
happy. This feeling of contentment is due to their Buddhist
faith or security felt by them which is provided by the lofty
Himalayas which protects them from the outside world. Most of
the people live the life as they lived several hundred years
ago. They live in rustic rural homes surrounded by fields of
rice, maize, buckwheat and wheat. At higher altitudes, they
live in nomadic tents woven with yak hair. All the citizens of
Bhutan, whether Government officials or the common public,
wear the national dress at all times in public. The men wear
traditional Gho, a knee-length robe tied at the waist and
pouched over the belt to form a pocket usually made from
hand-woven fabric in interesting patterns. The women wear the
ankle-length Mira, which is tied at the waist with a wide sash
and fastened at the shoulders with silver broaches and woven
in patterns distinct to each valley. Government senior
officials wear a sword on ceremonial occasions. The most
important sport of the people is archery. Archers throughout
Bhutan take great pride in hitting any part of a plate of the
size of a dinner plate from a distance of 450 feet. Every
village has its own archery range, and high-spirited
competitions are held as the part of every festival.
Religion and Culture of Bhutan
Religion plays a very important role in the social
affairs of Bhutan. Buddhism is followed by 70% of the
population, while Hinduism is practiced by 25%. The rest
are either Muslims or Christians. Lamaist Buddhism is
the state religion. It belongs to the school of Mahayana
or Tantrik Buddhism. Buddhism has shaped the country’s
destiny since it was introduced 100 years ago. It is
practiced throughout the country and has also played a
vital role in the life of the people. The Bhutanese
belongs to the Drukpa school, a 12th century splinter
movement from the
Kagyupa (one
of the Red Hat sects). The religious goal of the Drukpa is
redemption from the cycle of rebirth, entering into Nirvana.
With Lamaism this is believed to be achieved by castigation,
magic deeds and formulas. There are about 8 major monasteries
(which are also dzong – fortresses) and 200 small shrines (gompas)
scattered throughout the country.
Bhutan had a unique cultural heritage for
thousand years and is very different from anything in the
neighbouring countries of the Indian subcontinent. The
Bhutanese culture is one of the oldest, most carefully guarded
and well preserved cultures in the world. For the people of
Bhutan realize that other than their centuries old culture and
revered values, there is little else that is exclusive to
their small and less developed country. The highly colourful
ceremonies in Bhutan have a strong element of wizardry. The
country was never colonized, and remained unaffected by
outside influences and Western culture. In a bid to prevent
their ancient customs from being influenced by the West, the
Bhutanese government has made it mandatory for all Bhutanese
to wear only their national dress in public.
Festivals of Bhutan
The people of Bhutan love festivals. Many of the
festivals lasts for several days. The largest and most
colorful festivals take place at Bhutan's dzongs and
monasteries once a year, especially in honor of Guru
Rimpoche. They are normally celebrated in spring and
autumn. Tsechus consist of up to five days of
spectacular pageantry, masked dances and religious
allegorical plays that have remained unchanged for
centuries. Besides being a vital living festival and an
important medium of Buddhist teaching, tsechus are
huge social
gatherings. Bhutanese revel and exult together, dressed in
their finest clothes and jewelry, in a welcoming ambiance
where humor and devotion go hand in hand. For guests, the
tsechu provides an ideal opportunity to appreciate the essence
of the Bhutanese character. Dancing, singing, feasting and
sports are an integral part of each festival. The tourists can
also take part and enjoy the festival. Spectacular masked
dances are part of the festival.
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Adventure in Bhutan
Bhutan is not only known for its culture, but here one can
also experience a little bit of adventure in the mountains or
enjoy an outdoor holiday. The best adventure treks are
available, depending upon the physical conditions of the
tourists. The most adventurous and exciting trekking is to the
Himalayas. The treks start from semi-tropical forests till the
snow clad mountains. For the more adventurous, some of the
highest peaks of the country and swift rivers have been
opened. Some of the rivers also provides a good rafting
experience to the tourists. During the tour, the tourists are
provided well-trained guides who have good knowledge of
history and traditions of the country and are well versed in
English.
Restrictions on Entry in Bhutan
Only a few thousand foreign tourists have visited Bhutan
during the last two decades. The entry to this land is
restricted so as to retain the ancient charm of this kingdom
and save the citizens from outside influence. Bhutan was
totally closed to foreign visitors till 1974 except for some
Indian visitors. It was first opened to foreign tourists on
June 2,1974 when about 150 dignitaries from different
countries of the world were invited to attend the Coronation,
a three day spectacular ceremony of the present King of
Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, who was crowned at the young
age of 17. After the Coronation, the Government decided to
open the kingdom for foreign tourists utilizing the
accommodation built for the guests who came to Bhutan. Bhutan
Government has a policy of sustainable tourism and to avoid
the high number of tourists into the country, so every tourist
has to pay a considerable high amount for per night stay which
includes all the quality services.
Art
and Craft of Bhutan
All Bhutanese art-dance, drama and music-is steeped in
Buddhism. The paintings are not produced for tourists,
but for religious purposes; festivals are not quaint
revivals, but living manifestations of a national faith;
and almost all art, music and dance represents the
struggle between good and evil. These traditions can be
seen in all their glory at Bhutan's spectacular
religious festivals called Tsechus.
By Air:
Today, most of the visitors visit Bhutan by air. Paro is the
only airport in the country. It takes only two hours to reach
Bhutan from Delhi by air. Druk Air is the national carrier of
Bhutan. The Druk Air connects Delhi or Kolkata with Paro via
Kathmandu. It also flies to Paris via Kathmandu and to Bangkok
via Dhaka and Kolkata.
By Road:
Till Druk Air started flying in 1983, Bhutan can be visited
only through Darjeeling and Sikkim in India. Bhutan also has
land-crossings to northern India in the south-west via
Phuentsholing and in the east through Samdrup Jomkar.
