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ABOUT BHUTAN
Long regarded as the forbidden
land, Bhutan or Druk Yul – The land of Thunder
Dragon, was virtually closed to the outside world until the
1960s. Even today, little is know about this remote Himalayan
Buddhist kingdom nestled between two giant neighbors, India and
China. Often described as the Last Shangri la, Bhutan is still a
country of pristine forests, alpine valleys and glacier lakes, rich
in rare flora and fauna such as blue poppy, the golden languor and
the red panda. As spectacular as its natural beauty are the
architecture of its towering dzongs (fortresses) and the art
treasures that fill its monasteries and temples.
Bhutan is like no other place in the world. It has uniquely
beautiful architecture, living spiritual culture, stunning natural
beauty and unspoiled environment. It has the forest cover of well
over 70 %. Its mountain peaks are never conquered by the humans (it
is our belief that the mountain peaks are the abbot of our
protecting deities and therefore it has to remain chaste and
pristine).
Lately Bhutan has made headlines in international arena for its
unique development philosophy. The wise and farsighted King of
Bhutan has introduced this philosophy of gross national happiness.
According to this philosophy, the progress and development is
measured in terms of the Gross National Happiness (GNH) rather than
the gross domestic product (GDP).
Bhutan was forbidden land until the building of roads in 1960s. It
was a geographical reality since it was a landlocked country
surrounded by mighty mountain peaks in the north and dense malaria
infested forest in the south.
With the roads connected to all its major settlements and Indian
border, with one international airport (built in 1983), today Bhutan
has slowly opened its door to the outside world. However, Bhutanese
approach to tourism is a sensitive one. It wants what is called a
sustainable approach towards tourism (something like Buddha's middle
path). While the tourism brings wealth to Bhutan, it is also aware
of the possible negative impacts it would bring to the culture and
pristine environment.
Local name of our country is “Druk Yul”. It means the Land of
Thunder Dragon. According to the legend, Tsanpa Gyare (12th Century
AD) was consecrating a new monastery in Tibet, while he heard loud
thunder three times proclaiming the truths of buddha's teachings
(thunder is believed to be the voice of dragon (DRUK)). He named the
monastery Druk. The religious sect that he founded or that came from
this monastery was named the Drukpa Kargyupa.
In 17th Century when this sect of Mahayana Buddhism came to Bhutan
and became the state religion, the country was named Druk Yul.
Temples, Monasteries, Dzongs (fortresses), chortens (stupas) and
prayer flags are scattered all over Bhutan. Every district in
country has Dzong, which houses official monk body and the secular
district administrative body.
The presence of red-robed monks in every district indicates the
importance of Buddhism in Bhutanese way of life.
Our National dress is Gho for men and Kira for women.
Gho is a one-piece outfit pulled up to knee length and
fastened with a belt at the waist, leading to formation of enormous
pouch across the belly. Kira is rectangular piece of cloth. It is
wrapped around the body, fastened at the waist with a belt and at
the shoulders with sliver clasps. Inner blouse called wonju
and the outer light jacket called the Tego completes the
women's dress.
Archery besides being national sports is also the most popular
sport. Traditionally it is played with bamboo bows and arrows. The
small targets are placed at around 130-140 meters apart and it is
very difficult to make a hit with traditional bows. However, many
archery enthusiasts are going for imported bows (with pulleys) these
days.
During an archery match, it is not uncommon to see group of young
girls cheering their teams with songs while at the same time
distracting the archers of the opposing team. |
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