November 2007
96 posts
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Introduction
In June, my sister Susan sent me an e-mail saying she always wanted to visit Bhutan and now was the time to go. Did I want to join her? Not knowing anything about the place, I said okay. I am sure many of you reading this post are in the same position, so I am including a brief introduction to the country. Bhutan is a small (about the size of Switzerland), Himalayan country, just south of...
Bhutanese Buildings
Bhutanese buildings are extremely picturesque, built in the traditional style, by royal decree. They have sloping shingled roofs, many held down by rocks. The walls are either built of compacted mud or stones, which is then whitewashed. The windows, door frames and all wood trim are all painted in colorful traditional designs. Frequently there are also pictures painted on the walls. The mud...
Traditional Dress
Bhutanese have a traditional style of clothing which they wear most of the time. The men wear a “gho” (pronounced “go’), which is like a robe, hitched up to the knees with a sash. Underneath is worn a shirt and shorts. Shoes and knee socks complete the outfit, except in cold weather, when long johns are frequently worn. Women wear a kira, a long seamless ankle length...
Dzongs
One of the main tourist attractions in Bhutanare therir dzongs (pronouced “zong”), the administrative forts built by the monk Shabdrung, the unifier of the Bhutanstate in the 17th C. They are all situated at a strategic location, either on a hilltop or at the confluence of several rivers, and dominate the valley. They all contain a monastery and administrative offices for the area. Men and...
Wall Murals
The entrance to many dzongs and temples have large painted murals. These are painted on canvas elsewhere and then affixed to the walls. There were several recurring pictures we particular liked. Wheel of Rebirth shows 6 realms of sentient beings: gods, demigods, humans, animals, tormented spirits and hell-bound beings. Four Nobel Friends represents the cooperation between four animals, elephant,...
Prayer Wheels
Prayer wheels contain 1000’s of mantras, so turning a prayer wheel (always clockwise) is like saying 1000’s of prayers. Many temples have rows of small wheels around the outside of the building and people circumnavigate them turning every wheel.
Prayer Flags
One sees strings of prayer flags strung everywhere, next to temples, stupas, over streams, bridges, at mountain passes, next to houses, any place the wind can pick up the prayers and send them skyward. People string them to bring good luck or to commemorate a special occasion.
Stupas
We saw many, many stupas in Bhutan. They represent the Buddha’s mind and are erected in memory of an eminent lama or person or to ward off evil spirits from places considered dangerous, such as crossroads, bridges and mountain passes. One finds them everywhere, even in the middle of roads or fields. I think the Bhutanese drive on the left side of the road so they can circumnavigate the...