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Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, situated on the ancient Silk Road between Tibet, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, the Bhutanese state developed a distinct national identity based on Buddhism.
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Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in Asia. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, Bhutan is geopolitically in South Asia. Thimphu is its capital and largest city
Buthan Air is the only international airline to use the Paro airport. Anybody flying to Paro must first land in neighbouring countries then catch a connecting flight
Paro Airport in Bhutan might look beautiful, but is actually considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world, according to The DailyMail
Pilots need to maneuver between mountains, fly within feet of houses, and land on a narrow, 6,500 foot runway. Planes are only allowed to take off and land during the day, since any flying at night has been deemed far too dangerous. Strong winds can whip down from the mountains and easily send a plane off course. Because of the danger, only eight pilots in the world are qualified to fly in and out. And they transport a lot of people. About 30,000 people come through Paro Airport each year
Bhutanese currency is the ngultrum that equals one Indian rupee, but rupees are also used throughout the country (The Ngultrum is currently pegged to the Indian rupee at parity)
Tsa tsa are a form of sacred art that is common in all of the various lineages of Himalayan Buddhism. Usually depicting a stupa, Buddha or meditation deity, the making and sponsoring of tsa tsa are a profound way of accumulating merit and purifying obscurations
Tsa tsa are often used as a way of honoring the deceased through mixing their ashes into the tsa tsa material and then placing the completed tsa tsas in a reliquary or in caves and other sacred places. These minature, clay-molded stupas are placed as reliquaries in sheltered sites in the natural landscape as acts of devotion
Tsa Tsas are a common sight in Bhutan especially if you are wandering around in the mountains. About 3 inches tall, and in the form of a cylindrical cone, Tsa Tsas are found in caves, or underneath rocks, and in those places sheltered from the elements. Mostly painted white, some can also be seen in gold and red. This nonchalant artifact is infact a powerful expression of farewell for us Buddhist. In Bhutan, Tsa Tsas are moulded out of the ash collected from the cremation pyre. Commissioned by the bereaved family, and made by monks over special religious ceremonies, Tsa Tsas serve to memorialize those who have passed on (www.grida.no/resources/1737 )
Damaru, small handheld ritual drum, with silver decoration Thimphu Monks at Dechen Phodrang Giant horns
The national flag of Bhutan is based upon the tradition of the Drukpa Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and features the white dragon called the Druk (the Thunder Dragon) holding four jewels (norbu) in its claws and facing away from the hoist
Few nations are so mythical and still relatively little known as the small, Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. Few countries are so genuine and unexploited in terms of both culture and nature Sultan Tit
Common Green Magpie Ward's Trogon
Cutia Great Hornbill Himalayan monal
Lordly mansions of western Bhutan (Bumthang, Paro, and Trongsa Provinces) appeared in the late 19th century during a period of relative calm. Like dzongs, they are multi-storied courtyard buildings, though homes have more windows, resembling somewhat châlets. Upper floors of residences usually served as chapels (choesum) that housed paintings, statues, and religious literature.
The traditional bazam (cantilever bridge) leads to the Dzong from across the river. Bazam is a wooden cantilevered bridge with or without roof over it and usually with bridge houses, which are tower-like on each end
Bhutan is notable for pioneering the concept of gross national happiness The government, through questionnaires distributed to the population, evaluates everything: from the people’s stress sources to their sleeping and working hours, from their medical examinations to the quality of the air, from their consultations with astro-logists and shamans to the local politicians they know, from the books they read to the alcoholic beverages they drink (in Bhutan it is illegal to smoke)
The Dzong of Paro is named ‘Rinpung’ which translates to ‘heap of jewels’. Its massive walls overlook the city and they are visible from everywhere in the valley
Dzongs have what’s known as a Jabzhi roof, a square lantern shaped structure with pitched roof on top of the main roof which is yellow or gold in colour. It is decorated at the corners with carved garudas or alligators and crowned with a sertog (a golden cupola). These types of roofs are reserved for Dzongs and religious architecture and are not permitted on houses Paro Rinpung Dzong
Paro dzong © PratikMukherjee
Paro dzong Ancient wall painting in the Rinpung Dzong
Dranyen (Tibetan Lute) Paro dzong Mural painring
The people of Bhutan have long been knowledgeable bridge-builders, creating long overpasses to traverse the country’ s wide rivers and deep gorges Bhutan miniature sheet on Wangdue Bridge & London Bridge MNH
The architecture of ordinary houses varies according to location and elevation. In the southern lower altitudes, thatched bamboo houses are common; buildings progress to simple stone structures in higher altitudes. Two-storied buildings resembling but smaller than the lordly mansions are common throughout western Bhutan. Like mansions, upper floors are often reserved for chapels, which double as guest quarters. Attics, insulated with bamboo mats and hay, often serve for drying animal skins and chilies
As with most buildings, walls of ordinary homes in the west are most frequently rammed ear-then walls, pounded into wooden frames for up to a week and rendered with lime. Completed mud walls may be left naturally colored or whitewashed. The wetter eastern valleys of Bhutan tend to be steep, narrow ravines, with settlements dug directly into mountain-sides. Walls are more often made of stone in these regions, as opposed to the rammed earth more prevalent in the west.
Paro valley with the foreground roof drying chillies and house flag
