Inaugurated in , tourism has since grown steadily; in , nearly 20, foreigners visited Bhutan. This "high-value, low-impact" tourism aims to avoid the experience of Nepal, where hordes of backpackers roam the country without spending much money.
For a religious perspective, I went to Punakha. At an elevation of 4, feet, compared with Thimphu's 7,, this relatively warm town is home to the Buddhist leadership during the winter months.
There Thsula Lopen, one of Bhutan's highest-ranking monks, told me that television needn't contradict Buddhist values; in fact, he said, Bhutan now has Buddhist TV shows. But there is no Nielsen system to measure their ratings against those of the Indian soap operas that have transfixed much of the nation.
The monarchy in Bhutan began in , when Ugyen Wangchuck—a well-born governor and general who restored peace and order to the country after a period of civil strife—was named the first king by a group of prominent fellow citizens. Jigme Singye Wangchuck ascended the throne in when he was only 16 and held power for 34 years. Educated in India and Britain, he is a distinctively Bhutanese blend of the traditional and the progressive: he has four wives all sisters and a passion for basketball.
Abroad, he is best known for championing what he calls "Gross National Happiness"—emphasizing the value of cultural traditions and a clean environment, for example—over untrammeled development. He has explained his push to democratize Bhutan as a safeguard against the risk that some future monarch might be incompetent or worse. But his desire to maintain the nation's sovereignty likely influenced his decision. Recent decades have proved disastrous for other Himalayan Buddhist states.
Tibet was taken over by China in , self-governing Ladakh was divided between India and Pakistan in with China grabbing a portion from India in , and, in , India annexed the kingdom of Sikkim, following a steady influx of Hindu immigrants from Nepal that left Buddhists in a minority.
The hope is that a democratic Bhutan would more readily elicit world support if its sovereignty were challenged. But Bhutan's path to democracy has been bumpy. In the s, perhaps motivated by a desire to avoid Sikkim's fate, the government redefined citizenship to exclude those who could not claim Bhutanese parentage on both sides. The top part of the flag is golden yellow, which represents the secular power of the king, and the lower part is orange, which symbolizes the Buddhist religion.
The dragon, who represents Bhutan, holds jewels in its claws, which stand for the wealth and perfection of the country. The national flower is the blue poppy, which grows at the high altitudes. The national tree is the cypress. The Bhutanese people associate with it because it is straight and strong and can grow even in inhospitable soil. The national bird is the raven, which also adorns the royal hat. The national animal is an extremely rare mammal called the takin.
It lives in flocks in areas 13, feet 4, meters high and eats bamboo. Emergence of the Nation. Nearly all the historic records of early Bhutan were destroyed by fire, flood, earthquake, and war. In the sixteenth century, the region came under Tibetan rule. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal — , who was referred to as "Zhabdrung Rinpoche" which translates to "the precious jewel at whose feet one submits" , set up a dual system of administration headed by a spiritual leader and a civil government leader.
This system endured until when a hereditary monarchy was established. In the nineteenth century, the British sought to incorporate Tibet within their influence, which posed a threat to Bhutan, but this problem was successfully eliminated by Penlop Ugyen Wangchuck, who played the role of mediator between British India and Tibet.
Wangchuck became the first hereditary monarch of Bhutan in In Bhutan officially became an independent nation. National Identity. Bhutan's national identity is intimately bound up with its religious identity as a Buddhist nation. Buddhism influences both the daily lives of its people as well as the government, in which Buddhist religious leaders have considerable power.
Ethnic Relations. Bhutan has a wide diversity of ethnic groups, starting with a number of small tribal groups related to similar tribes in India and Sikkim whose ancestry goes back almost three thousand years.
More recent centuries have seen large migrant groups from Tibet, Nepal and Mongolia. The rapid growth of the largely Hindu Nepalese population in Bhutan towards the end of the twentieth century resulted in significant ethnic conflicts with the Buddhist majority. The government responded by tightening immigration and citizenship laws to reduce the flow of Nepalese into Bhutan.
When many Nepalese responded to this action with protests and demonstrations, ethnic violence and repression broke out against them in Bhutan's southern districts in the late s and early s. As a result, tens of thousands of Nepalese fled the country in and There are an estimated , Nepalese refugees currently residing in refugee camps in Nepal and India.
A large percentage of Bhutanese are rural residents who live in houses built to withstand the long, cold winters, with wood-burning stoves for both heat and cooking.
Nearly all these rural houses are surrounded by some land that is used for growing vegetables. There are also a number of cities, including the capital of Thimphu, which is home to the royal family and government buildings. Other cities include Wangdue Phondrang and Tongsa.
Bumthang is the spiritual region and has a number of monasteries and places of religious pilgrimage, as well as numerous religious legends associated with it. The use of the space involves preserving both the environment and the quality of life of Bhutan residents and at the same time using space to preserve wildlife. As part of Bhutan's Buddhist heritage, this includes preserving the numerous Dzongs monastery fortresses that are located throughout the entire country.
Food in Daily Life. Because of the ethnic diversity of the people, there is a certain ethnic diversity in the food. Northern Indian cuisine is often mixed with the chilies of the Tibetan area in daily dishes. Mushrooms, apricots, asparagus, a variety of chilies and numerous spices are grown in abundance in nearly all the valleys. Spices, fruits, and vegetables are cooked with beef, chicken, pork, and dried yak, and resemble Chinese and Indian cuisine.
The typical meal also features rice, dried beef or pork, and chilies sometimes cooked with soft, white cheese. The most popular beverage is tea, which is served in a variety of ways. Basic Economy. The economy is based on agriculture and forestry and provides the livelihoods for 90 percent of the population. Agriculture is primarily subsistence farming and animal husbandry. The economy of Bhutan is aligned with that of India through strong trade and monetary links.
Commercial Activities. Cottage industries, which include weaving, account for the majority of production. Major Industries. Manufactured goods include cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, and calcium carbite. Electricity is another important industry. Electricity is a major export item and is exported to India.
Other exports include spices, gypsum, cement, and precious stones. Major import partners are India, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Division of Labor. The majority of Bhutanese are not skilled labor workers: 93 percent are in agriculture, 5 percent in services, and 2 percent in industry and commerce. Classes and Castes. While Bhutan has no caste system, a pattern of discrimination against the minority Hindus of Nepalese origin exists.
Thousands of Nepalese were deported from Bhutan in the late s, and many others fled to refugee camps in Nepal. The government launched an effort to promote the cultural assimilation of the remaining Nepalese. Nepali was no longer taught in schools, and national dress was required for official occasions.
Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy, ruled by a hereditary king, the "Druk Gyalpo," who governs with the aid of a Royal Cabinet and a National Assembly the Tsongdu. Following the political reforms of , however, these two councils were combined to form the cabinet.
This body consists of six ministers elected by the National Assembly, six advisors also elected by the National Assembly, a member nominated by the king, and two representatives of the clergy. Corning Gorilla Glass TougherTogether. ET India Inc. ET Engage.
ET Secure IT. Panache Tech and Gadgets. Panache People City Life. ET Magazine. Priya Gupta. Rate Story. Font Size Abc Small. The first general election was held in Tens of thousands of people celebrated the birth of the couple's first child earlier this year by planting , tree saplings.
Tree planting is popular in the country, where they are a symbol of long life, beauty and compassion: in , Bhutan set a Guinness World Record by planting almost 50, trees in just one hour. Bhutan happiness guru's life story. Bhutan breaks tree planting record. How social media woke up Bhutan.
Reality hits charming Bhutan. Bhutan country profile. Profile: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Image source, Getty Images. Packed with beauty, history and culture, Bhutan has plenty to offer visitors. It is isolated, but less so than it used to be. The country is no longer as cut-off from the outside world as it once was.
0コメント