Bhutan - The Land of Thunder Dragon

Bhutan, or the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon, is nestled in the lap of the eastern Himalayas bordering with India in the south and China in the north. This tiny kingdom is primarily agrarian and is still a rural country almost devoid of industrialization. Globally, Bhutan is renowned for environment conservation, good governance, religious and cultural preservation. As a “Gift to the Earth”, Bhutan maintains more than 70 % of its entire land cover under pristine forest, and was the recipient of the United Nations Environment Programs’ Champion of the Earth Award 2005 for environment conservation. Culturally, Bhutan is a country with well-preserved heritage, where religion and traditions of every ethnic group are not the things of the past but an active part of every day life of all Bhutanese citizens.

Bhutan is gifted with four seasons. Spring is green and beautiful with many flowers. It is the best season to visit Bhutan.

Bhutan has a population of just about 700,000. The people of Bhutan are called Drukpa. People wear traditional dress in public places. For men it is called Gho and for women, it is called Kira.

Bhutan became the world’s youngest democracy in March 2008. Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy with the king as the head of the state and the Prime Minister as the head of the government. The present king is the fifth king of Bhutan.

The main religion of Bhutan is Buddhism. Buddhism was introduced in Bhutan by Guru Rinpoche, a Buddhist saint who came to Bhutan in 746 AD. The life of almost every Bhutanese is influenced by the Buddhism in one way or the other.

The staple diet is rice. Most of the Bhutanese dishes are spicy. Bhutanese eat a lot of hot pepper and it is the main ingredient in many of the dishes. The most popular dish is called Ema Datsi. This dish is prepared using green pepper and a lot of cheese. It is very hot.

We have a special type of tea called Suja. It is popularly known as Butter Tea to the foreigners who visit Bhutan. It is prepared with butter and salt added. This tea is often taken with a popular Bhutanese snack called Zaw, which is puffed rice.

Bhutan’s culture is very unique. We pay respect to our seniors and elders. The unique Bhutanese Culture is what our visitors appreciate and like most about Bhutan. The Bhutanese culture is deeply rooted in their way of life.

Bhutan is known for its nature. The country still has about 70% of it land under forest cover. This has got Bhutan international recognition as one of the Environmental Hotspots. Due to its rich flora and fauna, Bhutan has also started eco-tourism for those interested in nature.

Since Bhutan is located in the heart of the Himalayas, there are many snow clad mountains. For those who love hiking and trekking, they will get plenty of opportunity to trek and hike to mountains in Bhutan.

Tshechus are important festivals in Bhutan. Many tourists around the world come to Bhutan only to see Tshechus. Tschechus normally take place over 3-4 days during which mask dances are performed. The theme of the dances mainly revolves around Buddhism and human life. That is the reason why every Bhutanese go and see the Tshechu festivals. Besides being an important Buddhist festival, it is also a time for family gathering. It is also a time when tourists can see a vast range of hand woven Bhutanese traditional wears as people who come to see the Tshechu wear their best dresses.

Visiting Bhutan is special because only few people can make it to Bhutan. The government’s tourism policy is based on the low volume high value tourism philosophy. Through this policy, the government is trying to ensure that there is very less impact on the culture and tradition of the country from tourism. Also, it is true that many tourists who visit Bhutan find it particularly special & unique since there are only few tourists they come across in the country.

Gross National Happiness is a noble philosophy first thought by the fourth king of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuk. It is different from GDP in that GDP focuses on consumerism and neglect many other important considerations like the environment and basic emotional aspects of human beings. GNH on other hand regards GDP as important but only as a means to achieve a higher end, which is emotional well being. It focuses on human happiness as the central theme to overall development. The concept is born from the Buddhist philosophy that human desire is endless and that happiness results from being content with what we have, however small or insignificant that may be.

Being in Bhutan will provide that unique opportunity to the tourists to see for themselves the ‘Bhutanese’ happiness and interact with the Bhutanese themselves to discover our unique formula for happiness.

I hope I have been able to give you all some important information about Bhutan. If you would like to know more please let me know. I will be glad to share everything I know about my country.

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