Mongar Gewog

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.

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.

Taktsang Monasteries of Bhutan

Taktsang ("tiger's lair") is a class of cliffside hermitages across Bhutan associated with the meditation of Guru Padmasambhava and his consorts. While Paro Taktsang is the most famous, the network includes Singye Dzong in Lhuentse, Taktsang Pema Tsel in Bumthang and several smaller sites.

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.

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.

Healthcare in Bhutan

Bhutan provides free healthcare to all citizens as a constitutional right, operating a three-tier system of Basic Health Units, district hospitals, and regional referral hospitals. The system integrates both modern and traditional medicine, though it faces challenges including physician shortages, limited specialist capacity, and reliance on overseas referrals to India for advanced treatment.

Water and Sanitation in Bhutan

Bhutan has made remarkable progress in expanding access to clean water and sanitation over recent decades, yet significant disparities persist between urban and rural areas. Government programmes supported by international partners including UNICEF, the Asian Development Bank, and DANIDA have extended piped water to the majority of the population, while rural communities in remote mountain valleys continue to rely on vulnerable spring water systems and face challenges in maintaining infrastructure. Achieving universal access remains a central development goal under the framework of Gross National Happiness.

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.

Dorjilung Hydropower Project

The Dorjilung Hydropower Project is a planned 1,125 MW run-of-river hydroelectric project on the Kurichhu River in Mongar district, Bhutan. Jointly owned by Druk Green Power Corporation (60%) and Tata Power (40%), it is the largest public-private partnership hydropower project in Bhutan's history.

Kheng Language

Khengkha is an East Bodish language spoken by approximately 40,000 people in south-central Bhutan, principally in Zhemgang, Trongsa, Sarpang, and Mongar districts. An oral language without its own writing system, it belongs to the broader Bumthang language cluster of central and eastern Bhutan.

Bangchang

Bangchang is a traditional fermented grain beverage brewed and consumed across rural Bhutan, particularly in the eastern and central districts, where it serves as a social drink at community gatherings, festivals, and everyday hospitality.

Dramitse Ngacham (Drum Dance of Dramitse)

Dramitse Ngacham is a sacred drum dance originating from the Dramitse monastery in eastern Bhutan. Inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008, it is one of the most celebrated cham dances in Bhutan, featuring sixteen dancers wearing animal masks and playing large frame drums.

Black Mountain Range (Bhutan)

The Black Mountain Range (Dzongkha: Ri Nakpo) is a major north-south mountain range in central Bhutan that forms the primary geographic and cultural divide between the country's western and eastern regions. Rising to over 4,500 metres, the range is one of Bhutan's most significant biodiversity hotspots and is largely encompassed by Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, the country's largest protected area.

Child Malnutrition in Bhutan

Child malnutrition in Bhutan encompasses stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies, and emerging overweight concerns, with significant disparities between rural and urban areas and between eastern and western regions, despite decades of progress that have reduced stunting from over 60 percent to approximately 18 percent.

Pema Gatshel Town

Pema Gatshel Town is the administrative capital of Pema Gatshel District in southeastern Bhutan, known as the "Land of the Lotus." Situated at approximately 1,700 metres elevation on a mountain ridge, the small town is home to Pema Gatshel Dzong and serves as the hub for one of the more isolated districts in eastern Bhutan.

Zhemgang Town

Zhemgang Town is the administrative capital of Zhemgang District in south-central Bhutan, situated on a ridge above the Mangde Chhu river. One of the most remote and least visited district capitals, Zhemgang is known for its extraordinary biodiversity, with the district lying within a wildlife corridor connecting three of Bhutan's major national parks.

Lhuentse Town

Lhuentse Town is the administrative capital of Lhuentse District in northeastern Bhutan, situated at approximately 1,460 metres elevation in the Kuri Chhu river valley. Revered as the ancestral home of the Wangchuck royal dynasty, the town is renowned for Lhuentse Dzong perched on a ridge above and for the exquisite Kishuthara brocade weaving tradition of the nearby Kurtoe region.

Open-Air Prisons in Bhutan

Open-air prisons (OAPs) were introduced in Bhutan by royal command of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in 2011 as an innovative approach to criminal rehabilitation. Prisoners who have served 75 per cent of their sentences and demonstrated good conduct are eligible for transfer to OAPs, where they engage in vocational training, agricultural work, and community activities while preparing for reintegration into society. By 2014, over 410 prisoners — more than 35 per cent of the total prison population — had participated in the programme.

Cottage Industries of Bhutan

Cottage industries are the backbone of rural economic life in Bhutan, employing thousands of families in traditional crafts, food processing, and small-scale manufacturing. With 11,154 licensed cottage enterprises recorded in 2024, the sector is growing under active government policy support.