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Namkhai Nyingpo

Namkhai Nyingpo (8th–9th century) was one of the twenty-five principal disciples of Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), traditionally said to have meditated at Kurjey Lhakhang in Bumthang. The lineage of his recognised reincarnations continues into the modern era; the seventh, born in 1966, founded Lhodrak Kharchu Monastery in Bumthang, the largest Nyingma teaching institution in Bhutan.

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Recently improved: Pig at the Crossing · Gasa Tshachu (hot springs) · National Emblem of Bhutan · Topgyal Dorji · Jinzo — The Art of Clay Work

On this day

October 8

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Coming up · October 13

2003 — Operation All Clear Begins

The Royal Bhutan Army launched Operation All Clear, personally led by the Fourth King, to expel Indian separatist militant groups (ULFA, NDFB, KLO) from camp…

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October 13

2011 — Royal Wedding of the Fifth King

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck married Jetsun Pema at Punakha Dzong in a ceremony watched around the world. Jetsun Pema, age 21, became the youngest que…

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Did you know?

  • Bhutan is the world's only carbon-negative country, absorbing more CO2 than it produces.
  • Gangkhar Puensum (7,570m) is the highest unclimbed mountain in the world — Bhutan banned climbing above 6,000m.
  • Bhutan was the last country to introduce television, in 1999.

From the timeline · Modernization

1972 — Fourth King & Gross National Happiness

Jigme Singye Wangchuck becomes the 4th King at age 16 — the youngest monarch in the world. He coins "Gross National Happiness" as Bhutan's guiding philosophy.

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Word of the day

Dzongkha
གཞུང་གྲྭ་ཚང་།

Zhung Dratshang

noun

The Central Monastic Body. The official religious institution of Bhutan, headed by the Je Khenpo and operating under the dual system established by the Zhabdrung.

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Recently published

The No Objection State · Corporal Punishment in Bhutanese Schools · Punatsangchhu-III Hydropower Project · Tempa Dorji · Overseas Employment Programme · FSC Forest Certification Pilot in Bhutan · Bhutanese in the Gulf States · Nation Building Bond (Gelephu Mindfulness City) · Remit Bhutan · Department of Revenue and Customs

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  • Editorial — Opinion pieces from the BhutanWiki Editorial Team — separate from the neutral encyclopedia

Bhutan's 20 districts

Navigate every dzongkhag from Haa in the west to Trashigang in the east. Discover schools, hospitals, monasteries, government offices, and more across the Land of the Thunder Dragon.

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About BhutanWiki

Bhutan has no independent domestic press and ranks 90th out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. BhutanWiki exists to fill that gap — a free, open, community-built encyclopedia documenting Bhutan's history, culture, politics, and people from every perspective, including the stories that official narratives have erased. Anyone can write an article or record an oral history — anonymous contributions are welcome, and no account is required.