Bhutan History
Lavish coronation for Bhutan king
The new king of Bhutan has been crowned in a lavish coronation ceremony in the isolated Himalayan kingdom. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 28, an Oxford-educated bachelor, becomes the world's youngest monarch. He has become head of state of the world's newest democracy after his father abdicated in 2006 as Bhutan changed ... [more]
The Legends of Punakha
Dzongs in Bhutan not only represent the rich art and architecture, but they also reflect the legends and folklore of the country. Punakha Dzong in western Bhutan which sits on the confluence of two rivers, seemed to rise out of the water like a ghostly galleon. The trees that line the ... [more]
The forgotten ruins of Drabai dzong
It was an unusually warm and sunny day in July. Occasional patches of fluffy cottony clouds drifted in the blue sky as we walked up the valley of upper Choekor in Bumthang on our way to the ruins of the fifteenth century Drabai dzong built by a chieftain popularly known ... [more]
Dzong Scape
I saw in the dzong more than a gigantic structure. In the dzong, I saw the very image of the Bhutanese mind. It forged the outer mandala. It housed the inner mandala. It bore them both. Of the many physical symbols which give to Druk Yul her distinctive identity and personality, ... [more]
Cheri Gompa – The abode of divinity
The road followed the contours of the landscape; twisting over mountains draped in rich green vegetation. A silvery blue river tumbled through the valley to out right. For miles, we had not passed a living soul when suddenly I spotted a speck of orange - on the tarmac in front ... [more]
THE LEGACY OF ZHABDRUNG RINPOCHE
Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal is revered as the leader who unified Bhutan in the 16th Century. He laid the foundation for Bhutan's transition to a modern nation state. As Bhutan prepares for the adoption of a formal, written constitution, it is worth reconsidering the legacy of governing principles as first laid down ... [more]