Khar Gewog

Punakha Dzong

Punakha Dzong, formally Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong ("Palace of Great Bliss"), is the second oldest and second largest dzong in Bhutan. Built in 1637–38 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal at the confluence of the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu in the Punakha valley, it served as the seat of Bhutanese government until 1955 and remains the coronation site of every Druk Gyalpo.

Thimphu and the question of traffic lights

The story of why Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, has no functioning traffic lights, including the brief mid-1990s installation at the Norzin Lam junction, the public reaction that led to its removal, and the use of a hand-signalling traffic policeman as the city's central traffic-control system today.

Climate of Bhutan

The climate of Bhutan spans tropical lowlands to permanent ice within about 170 kilometres north to south, producing three broad zones — subtropical southern foothills, temperate central valleys and alpine north — each with distinct temperature and rainfall regimes. The country is dominated by the Indian summer monsoon, holds constitutionally mandated forest cover above 60 per cent, and is documented as carbon-negative, yet is also among the world's most exposed high-mountain states to warming, glacial retreat and glacial lake outburst floods.

Climate and Weather of Bhutan

Bhutan's climate varies dramatically from subtropical in the southern foothills to alpine in the northern highlands, shaped by the country's extreme altitudinal range from approximately 100 metres to over 7,500 metres. The Indian monsoon dominates the rainfall pattern, delivering the bulk of annual precipitation between June and September. Understanding Bhutan's climate zones is essential for visitors, researchers, and policymakers concerned with agriculture, biodiversity, and the growing impacts of climate change.

The Happiest Country On Earth Is Running Out Of Bhutanese

The Royal Government has just confirmed it will pay families Nu 10,000 a month (around USD 105) for every third child, because the birth rate has collapsed and the young will not stay. An editorial from the BhutanWiki Editorial Team on the Gross National Happiness brand versus the youth exodus, the TV and internet ban, the 1985 Citizenship Act and the Lhotshampa expulsion, and the policy machinery that produced both.

Kholongchhu Hydroelectric Project

The Kholongchhu Hydroelectric Project is a 600 MW run-of-river facility under development in Trashiyangtse District, eastern Bhutan. The first India-Bhutan hydropower project structured as a joint venture, it is being implemented by Kholongchhu Hydro Energy Limited (KHEL), a partnership between DGPC and SJVN Limited.

Royal University of Bhutan

The Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) is the only public university in Bhutan, established by royal charter in 2003. It operates as a federated institution comprising ten constituent colleges spread across the country, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in education, engineering, natural sciences, business, traditional medicine, and the humanities.

Bhutan for Indian Tourists — A Complete Guide

Indian nationals enjoy a special relationship with Bhutan that makes travel significantly easier and cheaper than for other international visitors. Indians do not pay the US$100 SDF but instead pay INR 1,200 per night as a regional development fee. They can enter overland through Phuntsholing with just a voter ID or passport, and can travel independently without a tour operator in many areas. This guide covers everything specific to Indian visitors.

Gangkhar Puensum

Gangkhar Puensum is the highest mountain in Bhutan and the highest unclimbed mountain in the world, standing at 7,570 metres (24,836 feet) on the border with China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Climbing has been banned since 2003 when Bhutan prohibited all mountaineering above 6,000 metres, a policy rooted in respect for the spiritual sanctity of high peaks.

India–Bhutan Friendship Treaty (1949)

The Treaty of Perpetual Peace and Friendship between the Government of India and the Government of Bhutan, signed at Darjeeling on 8 August 1949, governed the two countries' relations for nearly six decades. Its Article 2 — under which Bhutan agreed to be "guided by" India in external relations — became the central asymmetry of the relationship and was renegotiated in the 2007 successor treaty.

Cost of travel to Bhutan

A breakdown of what visiting Bhutan actually costs in 2024 to 2026, including the Sustainable Development Fee, regional rates, on-the-ground hotel and food costs, and the legal framework set by the Tourism Levy Act 2022 and its 2023 amendment.

Kurjey Lhakhang

Kurjey Lhakhang is a major temple complex in the Bumthang Valley of central Bhutan, renowned as the site where Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) left a body imprint on a rock while meditating in the eighth century. The complex comprises three temples spanning from the eighth to the twentieth century and serves as one of the royal burial grounds of the Wangchuck dynasty.

Flag of Bhutan

The national flag of Bhutan is a 2:3 banner divided diagonally from the lower hoist to the upper fly, with a yellow upper triangle representing the temporal authority of the Druk Gyalpo and an orange lower triangle representing the Drukpa Kagyu and Nyingma Buddhist traditions. A white druk (thunder dragon) clutching four jewels is centred on the dividing line. The basic design dates to 1947 and was first displayed at the signing of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty in 1949; the current standardised version, with an orange field and the dragon along the diagonal, has been in use since 1969.

Punatsangchhu Hydroelectric Project

The Punatsangchhu Hydroelectric Project comprises two large run-of-river hydropower plants on the Punatsangchhu (Sunkosh River) in Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan: Punatsangchhu-I (1,200 MW, still under construction) and Punatsangchhu-II (1,020 MW, fully commissioned August 2025 and inaugurated November 2025). Originally expected online by 2016-2017, both projects suffered severe delays and massive cost overruns. Punatsangchhu-II was commissioned in phases from December 2024 to August 2025, boosting Bhutan's power generation capacity by 40%, while Punatsangchhu-I remains stalled by geological challenges.

Kurichhu Hydroelectric Plant

The Kurichhu Hydroelectric Plant is a 60 MW run-of-river hydroelectric facility on the Kurichhu river in Mongar District, eastern Bhutan. Commissioned in 2001 with Indian financing, it was the first hydropower project in eastern Bhutan and provided a critical energy source for the country's least developed region.

Bhutan

Bhutan (Dzongkha: འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul, "Land of the Thunder Dragon"), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas of South Asia. Bordered by China to the north and India to the south, east, and west, Bhutan covers 38,394 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 790,000. The capital and largest city is Thimphu.

Mining Industry in Bhutan

Bhutan possesses significant deposits of dolomite, limestone, gypsum, coal, marble, and quartzite, which are extracted through a regulated mining industry that contributes modestly to the national economy. The sector is governed by the Mines and Minerals Management Act and overseen by the Department of Geology and Mines. While mining generates revenue and supports the domestic cement and ferrosilicon industries, it exists in tension with Bhutan's constitutional mandate to maintain at least 60 percent forest cover and the country's international reputation for environmental stewardship.

Construction and Foreign Labour in Bhutan

Bhutan's construction sector relies heavily on Indian and other foreign workers who perform the majority of manual and semi-skilled labour on the country's building sites, hydropower projects, and road construction. This dependency has shaped the economic, social, and cultural dynamics of Bhutan's modernisation, raising questions about labour rights, working conditions, wage equity, and the long-term sustainability of a development model that depends substantially on imported labour.

Medicinal Plants of Bhutan

Bhutan's rich biodiversity supports a traditional medicine system known as Sowa Rigpa ("the science of healing"), which uses over 200 medicinal plant species to produce more than 100 poly-ingredient formulations. Integrated into the national healthcare system since 1967, Bhutanese traditional medicine is practised through 65 hospitals and health units, with all medicines manufactured by the state-owned Menjong Sorig Pharmaceuticals.

Traditional Architecture of Bhutan: A Guide

Bhutanese traditional architecture encompasses a distinctive building tradition characterised by rammed earth and timber construction, elaborately carved wooden windows (rabsel), sloping roofs, and symbolic decorative elements rooted in Buddhist cosmology. A national building code requires that all new construction — including modern commercial and government buildings — incorporate traditional architectural elements, making Bhutan one of the few countries in the world where vernacular building traditions are legally mandated. Regional variations between western, central, and eastern Bhutan reflect different climatic conditions, available materials, and cultural influences, while modern adaptations seek to reconcile traditional aesthetics with contemporary functional requirements.