Bhutan Information

Bhutan’s climate varies significantly with altitude and between specific locations. There are three broad climatic zones: subtropical in the south, temperate in the broad central regions and alpine in the north. Rain is concentrated in the monsoon season from June to September.

Nowhere in the Himalayas is the natural heritage more rich and varied than in Bhutan. In historical records, the Kingdom was called the ‘Valley of Medicinal Herbs’, a name that still applies to this day. About 72.5 per cent of the country’s area is under forest cover.

For centuries, the Bhutanese have treasured the natural environment and have looked upon it as the source of all life. This traditional reverence for nature has delivered Bhutan into the 20th century with an environment still richly intact. The country wishes to continue living in harmony with nature and to pass on this rich heritage to its future generations.

Fortunately for Bhutan, maintaining a balanced natural ecosystem remains the central theme of its development process. The country’s development policies disregard sacrificing its natural resource base for short term economic gains and are consistent with the central tenets of sustainable development, environmental conservation and cultural values.

In 1998, Bhutan was identified as one of the ten bio-diversity hot spots in the world. It has been identified as the centre of 221 global endemic bird areas. The country signed the Convention on Biological Diversity and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. These conventions were ratified in 1995 at the 73rd session of the National Assembly. The Royal Government of Bhutan has also made a national commitment to uphold its obligation to future generations by charting a path of development called the “Middle Path” – this is the development which upholds both environmental and cultural preservation as an integral part of the development process.

The recorded history dates as far back as the 6th century A.D., while the real historical period started with the introduction of Buddhism from 7th century A.D. Since then, Buddhism has largely shaped the history of Bhutan and the way of life of its people.

The geographical situation kept the world at bay and together with the policy of isolationism this small kingdom was never colonized which is a matter of great pride to the Bhutanese. Its ancient history, which is a mixture of the oral tradition and classical literature, tells of a largely self-sufficient population that had limited contact with the outside world until the turn of the century.

The earliest notable relics visible of the history of Bhutan, today, are the two monasteries, the Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro and Jambay Lhakhang in Bumthang which were built in the 7th Century A.D. Little is known about Bhutan of that period.

But it was not until the visit of Guru Rimpochey (also known as Padma Sambhava) in 747 A.D., that Buddhism took firm root in the country. It is believed that Guru Rimpochey came flying on the back of a tiger and landed in Taktsang, Paro, where the Taktsang monastery, one of the most revered sacred sites and the most distinguished religious and historical icon of Bhutan, stands today. The Kurjey Lhakhang in Bumthang is another important revered site of pilgrimage where Guru Rimpochey had meditated, subdued the evil spirits and left the imprint of his body on a rock.

Another important chapter in the history of Bhutan evolved in the first half of the 13th century when the spiritual master, Phajo Drugom Zhingpo arrived, the precursor of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition of Mahayana Buddhism which ultimately gained pre-eminence in the country. Many saints and religious figures, over the years, helped shape Bhutan’s history and develop its religion of which the Tertons (Treasure discoverers) played an important role who were pre-destined to unearth the ters (relics) hidden for posterity by Guru Rimpoche and other saints. Among the Tertons, Pema Lingpa, born in the Tang valley of Bumthang (central Bhutan), occupies the most important place in the Bhutanese history. His discovery of ters from a lake called Mebartsho (The Burning Lake) in Bumthang is the most famous event. He not only discovered religious texts and arte-facts but also composed dances and created arts which have become one of the most important constituents of the cultural heritage of Bhutan.

With the arrival of Shabdrung Rimpochey (the precious jewel at whose feet one submits) opened the most dynamic era in the history of Bhutan. The religious and secular powers were not clearly delineated until the 17 Century when Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the great leader of the Drukpa school of Mahayana Buddhism, established the dual system of government–the temporal and theocratic–with Je Khenpo (chief abbot) as the religious head and the temporal leader known as the Desi. He was not only a great spiritual personality and a statesman but also left his indelible legacy as a great architect and a builder. The Shabdrung constructed numerous Dzongs, monasteries, and religious institutions bringing people from all walks of life under one faith and firmly instituted Drukpa Kagyu as the state religion.

The first Dzong that he built, Simtokha Dzong in 1627, stands majestically as one of the sentinels of the Bhutanese identity, a few miles away from present day Thimphu.

The Shabdrung’s dual system of government, ruled by 54 Desis and 60 Je Khenpos, steered Bhutan from 1651 until the birth of the Wangchuck dynasty and establishment of hereditary Monarchy in 1907.

In the later part of the nineteenth century, the Penlop (governor) of Trongsa Jigme Namgyal emerged as a strong leader out of the internal strife and intrigue embroiled by other power-brokering Penlops. After his death in 1881, he was succeeded by his dynamic son, Ugyen Wangchuck. At the backdrop of widespread desire for political stability and peace, Ugyen Wangchuck with his political acumen further consolidated his power and after the battle of Changlimithang ( Thimphu) in 1885 he emerged as an authority to reckon with.

Finally in 1907, a historic assembly of the clergy, the official administration, and the people unanimously elected Ugen Wangchuck as the first hereditary King of Bhutan. Ugen Wangchuck reigned until his death in 1926, and was succeeded by his son Jigme Wangchuck, who ruled the kingdom until 1952. The reigns of the first two Kings were marked by political stability. It was the third King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who introduced the process of modernisation. Known as the “Father of the Modem Bhutan”, King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck initiated planned development and thus began the dramatic changes in the quality of life of the people. He also enhanced the kingdom’s global role, making Bhutan a member of the United Nations and other international organisations. Bhutan made a giant leap straight from the medieval to the modem age. King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck ruled from 1952 to 1972.

In 1972, taking the reins from his father, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck became the youngest monarch in the world and continued the process of modernisation preserving the culture and traditions. With a strong emphasis on preserving the rich religious and cultural heritage, the dynamic young monarch then steered the kingdom through more than 20 years of development, towards the 21st century. From the pine-clad log cottage of Samteling he gave the world an ideal of modernisation: Gross National Happiness.

Bhutan’s population is, in many ways, one large family. More than 90 percent of the people live on subsistence farming, scattered in sparsely populated villages across the rugged terrain of the Himalayas.

With rice as the staple diet in the lower regions, and wheat, buckwheat, and maize in the other valleys, the people farm narrow terraces cut into the steep hill slopes. Bhutanese communities settled in the valleys with limited communication in the past. It is for this reason that the sense of individuality and independence emerges as a strong characteristic of the people.

It is for the same reason that, despite the small population, it has developed a number of languages and dialects. The Bhutanese are, by nature, physically strong and fiercely independent with an open and ready sense of humour. Hospitality is an in-built social value in Bhutan.

Bhutan is comprised of a mosaic of different peoples who continue to live in valleys isolated from one another and the outside world by formidable mountain passes. Differing ethnic groups are also distributed according to the varying environments. It is possible to divide Bhutan’s population into three broad ethnic groups, though the distinctions blur in places.

Southern Bhutan is inhabited mainly by Nepalese farmers who arrived in the country at the end of the 19th century. They brought the Hindu religion with them as well as the Nepalese language, which is still spoken today over much of Southern Bhutan. There is not the same mingling of Buddhism and Hinduism as is apparent in Nepal, and the two tend to keep apart.

The central Himalayan region is the home of the Drukpa people, who are of Mongoloid origin. Most breed cattle or cultivate the land, and their dwellings are spread over a wide area.

The Northern Himalayan Zone, over 3,000 meters (9,000 feet), is the haunt of semi nomadic yak herdsmen. They spend most of the year in their black yak hair tents, but also possess dry-stone walled houses, where they spend the coldest months of the year and which are used to store their goods. Additives to a diet composed mainly of yak milk, cheese, butter and meat are barley and winter wheat, plus a few root vegetables grown in small fields.

Believed to be the earliest inhabitants of Bhutan, the Sharchops are of Indo-Mongolian type, though their exact origin is unknown ( Tibet being the most likely source). At present, they live mainly in the east of Bhutan.

Bhutan’s national flag is a white dragon on a diagonally divided background of golden yellow and reddish orange. The yellow represents the secular power of the King, the orange the Buddhist religion. The white of the dragon is associated with purity, and the jewels held in the claws stand for the wealth and perfection of the country. The national emblem is composed of a double diamond thunderbolt placed above a lotus, surmounted by a jewel and framed by two dragons, all contained within a circle. The thunderbolt represents the harmony between secular and religious power resulting from the Vajrayana form of Tibetan Buddhism, the lotus symbolizes purity, the jewel expresses sovereign power and the two dragons, male and female, stand for the name of the country, Drukyul, the land of the thunder dragon.

Bhutan is the only country to maintain Mahayana Buddhism in its Tantric Vajrayana form as the official religion. The main practicing schools are the state sponsored Drukpa Kagyupa and the Nyingmapa. Buddhism transects all strata of society, underpinning multiple aspects of the culture. Indeed, religion is the focal point for the arts, festivals and a considerably above average number of individuals. The presence of so many monasteries, temples and stupas, monks and tulkus (reincarnations of high lamas) is indicative of the overarching role religion plays throughout the nation.

Although the Shabdrung is regarded as the founder of the nation, the secular realm has achieved an unprecedented degree of unity under the influential guidance of a Twentieth Century monarchy. Within a cultural context where the spiritual and temporal spheres are intimately connected, political leadership remains interpreted as divinely determined. The royal family traces its roots to the great Sixteenth Century saint Pema Lingpa, and the present monarch still enjoys a god-like status throughout much of his Kingdom. The Forth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck as the head of state now rules the Kingdom, with the throne retaining its position as the fulcrum of the political system.

Bhutanese art possesses a major Tibetan influence, although it has developed some of its own derivations. It has three main characteristics: it is anonymous, religious and performs no independent aesthetic function. Intricate wall paintings and Thangkas (wall hangings), most historical writing and fine sculpted images all have a religious theme. Given their role, these may be interpreted as created by artisans rather than artists, although there exist many extremely fine examples. All are viewed as sacred, and newly commissioned paintings and sculptures are consecrated through a special ceremony whereby they come to personify the respective deities.

Although both Buddhism and the monarchy are critical elements, it is the general extensive perpetuation of tradition that is possibly the most striking aspect of Bhutan’s culture. This is most overtly reflected in the nature of dress and architecture. All Bhutanese continue to wear the traditional dress: for men and boys the Gho, a long gown hitched up to the knee so that its lower half resembles a skirt, for women and girls the Kira, an ankle-length robe somewhat resembling a kimono. Generally colorful apparel, the fabrics used range from simple cotton checks and stripes to the most intricate designs in woven silk.

The Bhutanese architectural landscape is made up of Chortens, stonewalls, temples, monasteries, fortresses, mansions and houses. Associated with a number of clear-cut architectural concepts and building types rooted in Tibetan Buddhism, there is a strong association between state, religious and secular forms. What makes it quite unique is the degree of uniformity, with all structures corresponding to traditional designs. Thus ancient monasteries and fortresses appear to merge with more modern popular dwellings to create a setting that is fully internally consistent.

Bhutan is a sparsely populated land of some 700,000 inhabitants, spread out over the inaccessible and inhospitable mountainous landscape in miniature agrarian settlements. Within what essentially remains a traditional framework, individual units come together to compose a loosely linked social collage. A nation that collectively appears so different – united by centralized political and religious institutions and a common historical experience – possesses immense domestic diversity. Bhutanese society centers on community – a collection of lives interwoven in such a way that everyone appears important, no one is invisible. Within distanced villages, inclusive relations assume heightened intimacy, joining the rich with the poor, the old with the young, women and men in collective survival strategies. The prevailing social situation is characterized by a long-established underlying stability. In this sense it is somewhat atypical – underdeveloped, yet essentially free from the major social problems associated with poverty, disparity, unemployment and degradation.

The few major urban centers, relatively new occurrences, are indicative of the fact that, although at a formative stage, Bhutanese society is undergoing fundamental transformations. Following the nation’s entry into the modern world in the early 1960s and ongoing development interventions, people are experiencing significant alterations in the parameters within which they exist. A basic communications network now loosely links the country both internally and externally. The relationship between centralized state and devolved society is becoming more intimate. Modern infrastructures have much improved the health status and broadened the skills base. A range of new choices and opportunities has emerged, associated with technological innovations and structural adjustments. Whereas previously lives were heavily circumscribed and pretty predictable, young schoolchildren now face an exciting though uncertain future.

The traditional order is gradually making way for a period of restless reformation. From inward looking to outward oriented, communities are coalescing to form a national playing field. With opportunity comes aspiration and ambition, as the savvy and streetwise jostle for position within a partially formed modern system. Hierarchies are developing around the center related to relationships with multiple aspects of modernity, the most significant and lasting associated with wealth. Whereas more subtle evolutions are evident at the village level, towns represent the primary arenas for the formation of a modern Bhutanese society.

There is no guarantee that amidst the sweeping changes the nation will retain its overall consistency. The process of social reorganization involves a delicate balancing act, and trends are surfacing that have the potential to disrupt a steady transition. The population is growing and urbanization is on the increase. Informal local arrangements are being supplemented, substituted or simply eroded by the formal national infrastructure. Certain inequalities are emerging in wealth and status, between genders and regions. Instances of delinquency are slowly on the increase, as some are finding themselves outside mainstream arrangements. Benefiting from the host of modernisms and caught in an optimistic whirlwind, popular expectations are running well ahead of society’s ability to fulfill them. In the tricky and unpredictable state between tradition and modernity, the nation and its citizens face a series of unprecedented challenges.

The Bhutanese economy is significantly underdeveloped in keeping with the Kingdom’s late entry to the modern world. Although there have been considerable socioeconomic changes since the 1960s, the economy is still in its infancy. The livelihoods of the majority of the population remain based around traditional modes of production, namely subsistence agriculture and petty barter trade. Infrastructural improvements and technological inputs have encouraged the diversification of production, the development of markets and the emergence of a modern sector. The country has to date been able to generate very acceptable growth rates, connected to the gradual strategic exploitation of the natural resource base and the high initial returns on the mobilization of technology. However, the relatively small size of the predominantly trade-based modern private sector indicates that there is a long way to go.

The state will continue to play a central role as Bhutan’s economy undergoes major structural transformations. As well as the responsibilities for macroeconomic management and development interventions, it is the principal resource owner, the leading producer and the major domestic market. Much still depends on the government’s economic and broader development policies. The approach adopted is encapsulated in the unifying concept of Gross National Happiness, which emphasizes stability, balance and equity across all dimensions. Aiming to protect the culture and the environment and effect concomitant social and political reforms, the modern sector has been very gradually opened up. This is reflected in heavy market regulation and tight investment rules. Furthermore, the prudent management of public finance and external assistance has slowed immediate economic change. However, the development of a modern private sector is becoming of increasing importance to the maintenance of sustained growth and the provision of suitable employment opportunities.

Continued economic development is critical to successful modernization. Towards this end Bhutan possesses some important assets and some fundamental constraints. A well functioning state system, committed to national advancement, is endeavoring to create an effective enabling environment. Moreover, the country currently possesses the considerable advantages of a relatively small population and reasonably rich natural resource base. However, the impoverishment of the surrounding regions clearly alludes to some essential economic realities. The Himalayan area at large lies at the extreme periphery of the world economy and the modernization process has had some not altogether beneficial repercussions, typified by the failure to achieve sustained economic development. The nature of Bhutanese agriculture means that the country is not best placed to make a smooth agrarian transition, and there is considerable risk of a dual economy emerging. Furthermore, the modern sector, forced to compete predominantly on the more competitive export market, is hindered by high labor and transaction costs. The relatively slow response of the private sector is indicative of the fact that the lucrative accommodation of modern technologies and associated forms of economic organization will be problematic. For the realization of the long term objective of an economy based around “sophistication and civilization” (Planning Commission (1999:94)), the government lead and the private sector response will be of critical importance.

No place has more comprehensively embodied traditional Bhutanese arts and crafts than the Dzongs, the imposing monastic fortresses that appear throughout the landscape. Within their massive walls and measured beams are found items ranging from the most basic and functional to ones of spectacular beauty. Particularly striking are the paintings and statues representing important religious figures. Many intricate and colorful illustrations serve as allegories, dramatizing the continuing struggle between good and evil.

Bhutanese art and craft possesses three main interrelated characteristics: it is religious, it is anonymous and it corresponds to a certain uniformity of style. As such, items possess no intrinsic aesthetic function, and are instead interpreted as outward expressions of the holistic Buddhist religion. The distinction between more ornate (what one might consider artistic) forms and more practical applications is therefore somewhat blurred. All craftsmen would be considered artisans (scrupulously following tight traditional conventions) rather than artists (who might place greater emphasis on innovation). The Bhutanese style has over centuries been significantly influenced by Tibetan designs, whilst developing its own definite forms and themes.

The strength and vitality of Bhutan’s traditional Buddhist culture is in clear evidence throughout the land in its arts and crafts. This heritage is seen in both the ancient and the more modern structures, images and artifacts. What is particularly remarkable is the overall sense of regularity, where there appear to exist only superficial differences between the old and the new. Craftsmen maintain age-old techniques to perpetuate a rich artistic tradition. Unlike many places, in Bhutan the arts and crafts on sale are not made specifically for the tourist market, but are widely used by Bhutanese in both daily life and more direct religious practice.

With Bhutan’s entry into the modern world many traditional techniques are coming under threat. Particularly with regard to the more practical items used in daily life, cheaper foreign imports are gradually substituting for local handicrafts. Moreover, younger Bhutanese are increasingly becoming more interested in pursuing different career paths. With a view to preserving the country’s rich artistic traditions, the Royal Government has begun various initiatives to help promote such methods, which are seen as valuable parts of the country’s heritage.