Chhume Gewog

Bumthang District

Bumthang District (Dzongkha: བུམ་ཐང་རྫོང་ཁག) is a district in north-central Bhutan and the cultural heartland of the kingdom, renowned for its ancient Buddhist temples, sacred valleys, and deep associations with Guru Rinpoche and Pema Lingpa. With its dzongkhag capital at Jakar, Bumthang encompasses four main valleys and is one of the most historically significant regions in the country.

Kingdom of Bumthang

The Kingdom of Bumthang was one of the earliest and most prominent independent chiefdoms in the region that would become Bhutan. Ruled by kings who claimed divine origins, including the legendary Sindhu Raja in the 8th century, Bumthang was the cradle of Buddhism in Bhutan before being absorbed into the unified Bhutanese state under Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century.

Bumthang Valley

Bumthang is a district and valley complex in central Bhutan, often called the spiritual heartland of the country. Comprising four sub-valleys — Chokhor, Tang, Ura, and Chhume — at elevations between 2,600 and 4,000 metres, Bumthang is home to some of Bhutan's oldest and most sacred temples, as well as distinctive local industries including Swiss-style cheese and honey production.

Potato Farming in Bhutan

Potatoes are Bhutan's most important agricultural export and a staple food crop grown across the country's temperate highlands. The "Bhutanese Red" potato variety and the high-altitude growing conditions of Phobjikha Valley, Bumthang, and Haa produce a sought-after product that commands premium prices in Indian markets. Potato export revenue is a critical source of cash income for thousands of highland farming households.

Bumthangkha

Bumthangkha is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by approximately 30,000 people in the Bumthang district of central Bhutan. It is the principal member of the East Bodish language family, a group of related languages unique to Bhutan, and is closely tied to the cultural and religious heartland of the country.

Puta

Puta is a traditional buckwheat noodle dish from the Bumthang valley of central Bhutan, where the cool climate and high altitude make buckwheat the primary grain crop. The noodles are pressed through a wooden frame directly into boiling water, producing short, thick, slightly chewy strands with a nutty roasted flavour. Puta is one of the defining dishes of Bumthang cuisine and its history can be traced to at least the early fifteenth century through the biography of the saint Pema Lingpa.

Sindhu Raja and the Kingdom of Bumthang

Sindhu Raja (also known as Sendha Gyab or Künjom), the Chakhar Gyalpo, was an Indian prince in exile who established a kingdom in the Bumthang valley of central Bhutan in the 8th century. His reign is intertwined with the arrival of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) in Bhutan, whose legendary healing of the ailing king marks the introduction of Buddhism to the region.

Tang Valley

Tang Valley is one of the four valleys of Bumthang district in central Bhutan. Less visited than the neighbouring Choekhor Valley, Tang is home to the Ugyen Choling Palace museum, the sacred Mebar Tsho (Burning Lake) associated with the treasure revealer Pema Lingpa, and a distinctive rural landscape known for buckwheat cultivation and honey production.

Bumthang Brewery

The Bumthang Brewery, located in the Choekhor Valley of Bumthang district in central Bhutan, is the country's first and most iconic brewery. Founded by Swiss expatriate Fritz Maurer in 1998, it produces Red Panda beer, apple cider, apple wine, and other beverages using locally sourced ingredients. The brewery has become one of Bumthang's most popular tourist attractions and a symbol of Bhutan's small but distinctive craft beverage industry.

Choekhor Valley

The Choekhor Valley is the largest, most populated, and most culturally significant of the four valleys that compose Bumthang district in central Bhutan. Home to the district capital of Jakar and to some of Bhutan's oldest and most sacred Buddhist temples — including Jambay Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang, and Tamshing Lhakhang — Choekhor is widely regarded as the spiritual heartland of Bhutan.

Apple Industry in Bhutan

Apple cultivation is an important agricultural activity in Bhutan's temperate central valleys, particularly Bumthang and Paro. Introduced through development programmes in the mid-20th century, Bhutanese apple orchards produce both fresh fruit for domestic consumption and raw material for the country's nascent cider and wine industry. The sector faces challenges including limited cold storage, transport difficulties, and competition from Indian imports.

Chhume Valley

Chhume is one of the four valleys that comprise Bumthang district in central Bhutan. Less visited than the neighbouring Choekhor Valley but rich in cultural heritage, Chhume is renowned as a centre of yathra weaving — the distinctive woollen textile tradition of central Bhutan. The valley features historic temples including Chhume Lhakhang, expansive buckwheat fields, and a pastoral landscape that offers a quieter alternative to Bumthang's more touristed areas.

Tharpaling Monastery

Tharpaling Monastery (Tharpaling Goemba) is one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Bhutan, located above the Chhume Valley in Bumthang District at an altitude of approximately 3,600 metres. Founded by the great Nyingma master Longchenpa (Longchen Rabjam, 1308–1364) in the 14th century during his period of exile from Tibet, Tharpaling remains a major retreat centre and pilgrimage site, renowned for its spiritual significance and spectacular mountain setting.

Regional Variations in Bhutanese Cuisine

Bhutanese cuisine varies dramatically across the country's ecological zones, with western valleys specialising in red rice and chilli-cheese dishes, central Bumthang producing distinctive buckwheat preparations, eastern districts favouring maize and fermented foods, and southern communities blending Bhutanese and Nepali traditions.