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Talk about Bhutan and you talk automatically about Buddhism. This religion is integrated in all aspects of the country, including architecture. Typical is the degree of uniformity: all structures correspond with traditional designs. You see this reflected in the chortens (stupa's), temples, monasteries, fortresses, houses, mansions and farms. Although there is a clear commonality, each Bhutanese valley has its own architectural character. The differences are found in the building material that’s been used, ranging from mud to stone, and the special ambience that’s so typical for its dzongs and monasteries.
Dzongs
In the 12th century dzongs were introduced to Bhutan. All dzongs are based on the same layout, but each has its' own unique design. The outer walls and buildings are the circumference with at its' heart a central temple, often in a big courtyard. The dzongs are not only beautifully designed, you’ll also find many art treasures here.
Each valley has a dzong as a striking landmark. They are often build atop steep ridges, strategical outlook points or between fast flowing rivers. Whereas these massive ancient monastery castles where built for defence, they nowadays have become a symbol of security and stability, serving as headquarters for the civil and monastic administration of each district. Bhutan’s most famous monastery is the Taktsang dzong (Tiger’s Nest).
Monasteries
It’s not surprising that a country so naturally influenced by Buddhism, counts over 2.000 monasteries. Everywhere you look, even in the most remote areas, you’ll find a monastery of some kind. All monasteries have a maroon band near the top of the building. Sitting atop some monasteries, you even find a golden ‘sertog’ or pinnacle. The monasteries spiritually serve the communities living around them. They are often the center of cultural, religious, secular and administrative events, hosting important ceremonies and festivals.
Chortens (Stupas)
Just like several other Asian countries, Bhutan is home of thousands of chortens. In Buddhism, these stupas symbolize a cistern. They indicate the people’s deep faith. Even today many new chortens are built. There are eight different forms or styles of chortens, like the mani dungkhor housing a large prayer wheel or the chortens with an archway over a trail. Bhutan’s most important chorten is the National Memorial Chorten. This stupa with wonderful statues and wall paintings is dedicated to Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Bhutans third king.
Everywhere in the country, you’ll find Bhutan’s mythology expressed in many different ways. Most striking is the name its inhabitants have for the kingdom: Druk Yul, literally meaning ‘land of the thunder dragon’ in Bhutanese mythology. You find the fierce white dragon in the national flag and weapon and during the Tsechus - Bhutan’s most important festivals – there are many expressions of and references to the dragon. Even Bhutan’s leaders are known as the Druk Gyalpo: the dragon kings.
Every part of Bhutan’s national flag is symbolic for the country’s general features. Divided diagonally, the flag has a white dragon across the middle. The white colour is not only an expression of purity and loyalty, it also represents the diverse ethnic and linguistic groups. The dragon’s growling mouth, which is an expression of the strenth of many deities, protects the jewels which are hold in his paws. These jewels represent prosperity, wealth and perfection. The upper yellow part of the flag represents the king’s secular power and fruitful action in both religious and state affairs. The lower orange part represents the spiritual power and religious practise of Bhutan’s Mahayana (tantric) Buddhist religion.
Bhutan also holds a national emblem. A double diamond thunderbolt (dorji) placed above a lotus, is framed by two dragons and overcome by a jewel. The harmony between religious and secular power is symbolized by the double diamond thunderbolt. The lotus symbolises purity, and sovereign power is expressed by the jewel. Finally, the male and female dragons represent Bhutan’s name, being proclaimed with their great voice of thunder (Druk Yul). The national emblem is contained in a circle.
(copyright: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bhutan_emblem.svg)
On december 17th National Day is celebrated. It is reminiscent of the ascension to the throne of Bhutan’s first king, Ugyen Wangchuck in 1907.
The blue poppy, found in the high altitudes above 13.000 feet, is Bhutan’s national flower, while the cypres is the country’s national tree, often associated with religious places. The National bird is the raven, representing Gonpo Jarodonchen (Mahakala), one of Bhutan’s main guardian deities. The raven adorns the royal crown.
The takin, an extremely rare mixture of sheeps and goats, is the kingdom’s national animal. Since its favorite food is bamboo, growing high in the Himalayas, it will not surprise that the takin herds are found in the very high altitudes (13.000 ft and over).
Exploring Bhutan, you imagine yourself catapulted hundreds of years back. This is enhanced by its' people, 
hardly influenced by Western mass consumption and lifestyle. Instead they still wear their selfwoven traditional outfits, leading a calm, simple and peaceful life.
The first records of people settling in Bhutan go back 14.000 years ago. It is very wel possible though that Bhutan was already inhabited by scattered clusters of tribes. The Drukpa are Bhutan’s indigenous population. They can be divided into three main ethnic groups: the Sharchops, Ngalops and Lhotsampas.
The Sharchop are believed to be Bhutan’s original inhabitants, living predominantly in Eastern Bhutan. Their roots lie in North Burma and Northeast India.
Bhutan’s second tribe are the Ngalop. Importers of Buddhism to the kingdom, they migrated in the late 19th century from the Tibetan plains. You find them mainly in Western Bhutan.
In the early 20th century, the Lhotshampa nestled in the southern plains of Bhutan, looking for agricultural land and work. They are of Nepalese origin and you’ll recognise them by their ‘topi’, a very specific headgear. This minority group was so heavily discriminated in the late 1980’s, that in 1990 they massively fled to Nepal. Nowadays they still can’t return back to Bhutan and live mostly in Nepalese refugee camps of the United Nations.
Social Equity
Bhutan is a relatively egalitarian society where women enjoy equal rights with men in every respect. Because the kingdom is gender balanced, there never was any need for the upliftment of woman. They are actively involved in all ranges of Bhutans socio-economic development. The kingdom also never had a rigid class system. People's rank of birth doesn’t influence their opportunities on the social and educational ladder.
Population
One of Bhutan’s major ‘secrets’ is the exact number of people living there. The United Nations have estimated that Bhutan is inhabited by about 2.1 million people, but there are also rates of no more than 810.000 inhabitants. However, Bhutan is one of the countries in the world with the least dense population, with 79% of the people living in rural areas. More than 90% of the people are selfproviding and spread across the country in sparsely populated villages. It was only in the mid 1900’s - when roads were built to connect the different regions of the country - that ethnic groups started to mingle.
Bhutan consists of 20 dzongkhags or districts, which can roughly be divided into Western, Central and Eastern Bhutan.
Western Bhutan
Western Bhutan encompasses Wangdue Phodrang, Punakha valley, Thimphu valley, Paro valley and the Haa valley. These valleys are divided bij three major La’s (passes): the Pele La, Dochu La and Cheli La. It's the part of the country where you find an abundance of rice paddies, beautiful mountain scenery, rich orchards and clear blue rivers. Amidst the green you ly the characteristic two-story houses, still built in traditional style and windows with brightly painted designs. The Ngalops, one of Bhutan's three major tribes, live mainly here. It’s major cities are Paro, Thimphu and Punaka.
· Paro is a little town situated in a charming and peaceful valley where the landscape is mainly dominated by rice cultivation. In Paro you find the Taktshang Dzong, which is Bhutan’s most famous monastery. It hangs on a cliff at 3.120 meters (10.200 feet), some 700 meters (2.300 feet) above the bottom of Paro Valley. Knowing this, you understand its' nickname ‘Tig
er’s nest’.
· Lying in the centre of the Himalayas you find Thimphu: Bhutan’s national capital. It's nothing like a normal, major city though. Instead, this small city breathes medieval times. It’s the only capital in the world with no traffic lights, only a few cars and hardly any streetsigns. What you do find, is people dressed in traditional clothing, passing wooden houses and shops all build in the typical traditional, colorful Bhutanese style. Worthwile visiting in Thimpu are the central post office with a wide and diverse collection of beautiful stamps, the traditional painting school, National Library and memorial Chorten. While you’re in the capital, make sure you don’t miss the weekend market which offers a glimpse of the wild variety of vegetables like chillies, aspargus, rice, eggplant and okra. It’s also an exellent place to buy your souvenirs, which come from all over Bhutan. Whether you’re looking for tailor made clothing, hand woven textiles, jewelry, incense, hand made knives, woordcarvings or tradtional Bhutanese masks; here you’ll find it for sure.
Another thing you definitely want to visit, is the Tashi Chhoe Dzong, lying on the banks of the Thimphu river (Wangchhu). This very impressive building which is home of the National Assembly, overlooks the city and the river. It’s also the place where Thimpu’s monastic community spends its summer. It’s also worthwile visiting the Simtokha Dzong, only six kilometers out of Thimpu. This oldest dzong of Bhutan houses the Dzongka language school of Bhutan.
· Bhutan’s former winter capital is Punakha. Nowadays it's a sacred place where the Je Khenpo (leader of Bhutan’s religious order) and the monk body of Thimpu still spend the winter, due to its temperate climate. The Punakha dzong is an immense and magnificent monastery with 21 temp
les, strategically built between two rivers.
Central Bhutan
Central Bhutan is the place to be if you like walking in broad valleys, surrounded by sloping mountains. This part of the country includes several rich valleys, amongst them the popular ones of Bumthang, Ura and Trongsa. These valleys with an abundance of dwarf bamboo are divided bij four major La’s: the Thrumshing La, Shertang La, Yotang La and Pele La. Here you can find many fields where buckwheat is grown, as well as splendid apple orchards. Typical for the region are its' many monasteries.
· Bumthang
The Bumthang valley consists of four majour mountain valleys (Chhume, Ura, Tang and Chokhor). It is commonly referred to as the valley of Bumthang since it is in the large valley of Chokhor (also known as Bhumtag, the valley of beautiful girls) where you find the most important ancient temples, sacred sites and dzongs. The most historical dzongkhag is Bumthang (literally meaning ‘beautiful field’). Typical for this area are farms with dairy products, buckwheat, apples and honey.
· Ura
Bhutan’s highest and most Eastern valley is Ura. Its wide open spaces give you an incredible view of the Thrumsing La pass. Ura itself is a small charming village breathing a special atmosphere. Walking down the streets you believe you’ve travelled back to times long time gone. On their backs the older Ura women still wear their shawls made of sheepskin, used as both a blanket and cushion. Ura also has a relatively new monastery.
· Trongsa
Situated in the centre of Bhutan and about five miles from Trongsa you will be captured by one of Bhutan’s most beautiful and breathtaking views. Build in 1648 on a ridge, you find the impressive many-leveled Trongsa dzong. When the sun’s rays hit the bright golden yellow roof, you get a glimpse of other worlds. This robust monastery acted as a defensive fortress. Because of its' strategical position, it was the Royal Family’s ancestral home.
Eastern Bhutan
Eastern Bhutan is the Kingdom’s least discovered part, but very worthwile visiting with its’ many ancient spiritual sites. It comprises the cities of Phentsholing, Mongar, Lhuentse, Trashigang and Trashi Yangste, divided by the passes of Kori La, Yongphu La and Narphung La. Due to the warmer climate you are surrounded by fields of lemon grass, corn, rice, wheat and potatoes. This part of the country is also famous for Bhutan’s best weavers, known for their amazing supplementary weft-weave technique and hand-loomed textiles.
· Phentsholing
Travelling overland from India to Bhutan, the small town of Phentsholing is your point of entry. Lying right across the border, it is a typical business city for Bhutanese and Indians. Phentsholing is not your typical Bhutanese city with impressive dzongs; instead it’s characterized by modern architecture. Nearby is the Karbandi Monastery, visited by many pilgrims wishing for children. What makes it still worth making the trip, is the view from the monastery over the Bengal Plain and Phentsholing.
· Mongar and Lhuentse
Travelling across the steeply climbing highways to Bhutan’s Eastern region rewards you with one of the most beautiful panoramas. In just a few hours the altitude drops from 3.800 to 650 meters and during your journey you’ll cross an astonishing cliff dropping thousands of feet. Many towns are built on the sides of the hills, surrounded bij pine forests, semi-tropical forests and orange groves.
Worthwile visiting is the Mongar dzong, which was built in 1953 in behalf of Bhutan’s former king Jigme Dorje Wangchuck. After visiting the monastery, you can record the marvelous view over Mongar valley from the Zhonggar Lodge. This royal guesthouse lies near the dzong. Close to Mongar you find the villages of Lhuentse and Kuri Chhu, known as one of Bhutan’s best weaving villages. For generations, its' traditional kushitara weavers were the Royal family’s weavers.
· Trashigang, Radhi, Rangjung & Gom Kora
Trashigang and trade are deeply connected. In the old days it connected Tibet to Assam (India) and nowadays it is the primary route for trade between India and Bhutan. Although Trashigang has no major urban area, it’s a busy tradetown where you can encounter a melting pot of several hill tribes like the Merak and Sakteng. It’s also home of the Sharchops, one of Bhutan’s major three tribes.
Driving towards Trashigang, you cannot miss the Trashigang dzong, offering you a spectacular view over the Trashigang valley. Just like the Trongsa dzong in Central Bhutan, the Trashigang fortress was build a mere 350 years ago to defend the country against Tibetan invaders.
If you’re interested in weaving, travel from Trashigang 16 kilometers to the east. Here you find Radhi and Rangjung, specialised in natural dyed raw silk textiles. Nearby is the ancient temple of Gom Kora, known for its' rock garden. It’s also a sacred place, containing a sacred footprint. The Bhutanese believe it to be the footprint of either a khandroma (angel) or of Guru Rinpoche, the deeply revered Buddhist master who brought Buddhism to Bhutan. About 25 kilometers south of Trashigang you find Sherubtse college, the only college of Bhutan’s Royal University.
· Trashi Yangste & Duksum
Driving towards Trashi Yangtse you pass Duksum. In this small weaver’s town the people of the surrounding high mountain villages come to buy their necessities. Landmark of Duksum is the Lama Hazampa, an original iron chain suspension bridge. Close to Duksum you find the town of Trashi Yangste with on the floor of the valley the impressive Chorten Kora. This stupa, built in the 18th century, is one of Bhutan’s two Kora’s that are built in the special Nepalese ‘eye’ style. It’s also the centre of one of Bhutan’s most famous festivals, held each spring. 
