Yangtse Gewog

Delzo — Papermaking

Delzo (Tibetan: སྡེལ་བཟོ) is the traditional Bhutanese art of papermaking, one of the Zorig Chusum (thirteen arts and crafts). Bhutanese handmade paper, known as deh-sho or desho, is produced primarily from the bark of the daphne plant and has been used for centuries for religious texts, official documents, and ritual purposes. The craft is centered in Trashi Yangtse district in eastern Bhutan.

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.

River Systems of Bhutan

Bhutan's river systems rise from Himalayan glaciers and drain through steep forested gorges into the Brahmaputra plain, sustaining the kingdom's agriculture, generating its primary export commodity in hydroelectric power, and posing significant flood risks from glacial lake outbursts and monsoon flooding.

Tshangla Language

Tshangla, also known as Sharchopkha ("language of the east"), is the most widely spoken native language in Bhutan by number of speakers and the mother tongue of the Sharchop people of eastern Bhutan. A Sino-Tibetan language spoken across six eastern districts, it has approximately 157,000 speakers in Bhutan and a further 18,000 across northeast India and Tibet. Despite its demographic weight, Tshangla has no standardised written script and is not an official language of instruction, raising concerns about long-term language vitality.

SIM Cards and Internet Access for Visitors to Bhutan

A practical guide for tourists visiting Bhutan on obtaining SIM cards, choosing between B-Mobile and TashiCell, data plan options, WiFi availability, and mobile coverage across the country including rural and trekking areas.

Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck

Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck (born 21 May 1930) is the Gyalyum (Royal Grandmother) of Bhutan, widow of the Third Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, mother of the Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and paternal grandmother of the reigning Fifth King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. A daughter of the Dorji family of Bhutan and Sikkim, she has been a central figure in the Wangchuck dynasty for more than seven decades.

Troezo — Gold and Silversmithing

Troezo (Dzongkha: khro bzo or bro bzo) is the traditional Bhutanese art of gold and silversmithing, one of the Zorig Chusum (thirteen traditional arts and crafts). Practitioners create jewelry, ritual objects, ceremonial swords, and decorative items using techniques including hammering, repoussé, engraving, filigree, and stone setting. The craft supplies objects essential to Bhutanese religious practice, court ceremony, and personal adornment.

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.

Gom Kora

Gom Kora, also spelt Gomphu Kora, is a Padmasambhava-associated pilgrimage site on the bank of the Drangme Chhu in eastern Bhutan, set between Trashigang and Trashiyangtse. It is the venue of one of eastern Bhutan's largest spring festivals, drawing pilgrims from across the east and from Arunachal Pradesh.

Kuri-Gongri Hydropower Project

The 2,640 MW Kuri-Gongri Hydropower Project is a planned reservoir-based hydropower scheme on the Kuri Chhu and Gongri Chhu in eastern Bhutan, currently in extended planning. Originally conceived in the 2008 India–Bhutan agreement to develop 10,000 MW by 2020, the project has been redesigned from run-of-river to reservoir, with the most recent Detailed Project Report estimating capital costs of approximately Nu 306–307 billion. As of mid-2025 no construction agreement has been signed.

Chorten

A chorten (Dzongkha and Tibetan mchod rten, "receptacle of offering") is the Bhutanese form of the Buddhist stupa: a religious-architectural monument that serves as a reliquary, a meditation symbol and a focus of pilgrimage. Chortens are among the most numerous and visible religious structures in Bhutan, found on hilltops, mountain passes, river confluences and at the entrances of villages, dzongs and temples.

Bhutanese Painting Classification System

The Bhutanese painting classification system categorizes traditional architectural painting (Lhazo) into quality tiers (Rab, Ding, Thamar, and Yutshon) and two structural painting techniques (Sumdang and Dangtshon). Regulated by the government, these classifications determine which painting styles may be applied to different types of buildings.

Tsharzo — Bamboo and Cane Work

Tsharzo (Dzongkha: tshar bzo) is the traditional Bhutanese art of bamboo and cane weaving, one of the Zorig Chusum (thirteen traditional arts and crafts). Practitioners produce a wide range of utilitarian and ceremonial objects including baskets, food containers, quivers, bows, wine strainers, and the iconic bangchung — a finely woven lidded basket used for serving rice at meals and festivals. The craft is particularly associated with eastern Bhutan, where abundant bamboo forests supply raw materials.

Thirteenth Five-Year Plan of Bhutan (2024–2029)

The Thirteenth Five-Year Plan (13th FYP) of Bhutan covers the period 2024-2029 under the theme of "Narrowing the Gap." It represents Bhutan's first development plan after graduating from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in December 2023, and outlines strategies for economic diversification, youth employment, sustainable development, and managing the transition from concessional international financing.

Rongthong Kunley Dorji

Rongthong Kunley Dorji is a Bhutanese political dissident and the founding chairman of the Druk National Congress (DNC). Notably a Sharchop (eastern Bhutanese) rather than a Lhotshampa, his opposition to the government demonstrated that dissent over the 1990s crisis was not solely an ethnic Nepali movement. He was arrested in India in 2001 at Bhutan's request and has been a leading figure in the exile democracy movement.

2006 Abdication of Jigme Singye Wangchuck

On 14 December 2006 the Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated the throne of Bhutan in favour of his eldest son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. The handover, signalled by a royal kasho on 9 December, brought forward by roughly two years a transition the Fourth King had publicly trailed since December 2005, and prepared the country for the constitutional and democratic transformation that followed in 2008.

Trongsa Penlop

The Trongsa Penlop (ཀྲོང་གསར་དཔོན་སློབ་) was the governor of central and eastern Bhutan under the pre-1907 dual system of government. In the 19th century the office became the most powerful in the country, produced the Wangchuck dynasty, and today survives as the formal title of the heir apparent to the Bhutanese throne.

Thrumshingla Pass

Thrumshingla Pass, at 3,780 metres, is a major mountain pass on the lateral highway connecting central and eastern Bhutan. Located within Thrumshingla National Park, the pass traverses one of Bhutan's most biodiverse old-growth forests and is a key gateway to the culturally distinct eastern districts of the kingdom.

Bhutan Honey Industry

The honey industry in Bhutan is small in absolute terms but has expanded since the 1990s through government apiculture extension and the formation of beekeepers' cooperatives. In 2024 around 7,500 households were engaged in beekeeping, producing roughly 42 metric tonnes of honey. The Beekeepers' Cooperative of Bhutan, founded in 1997 in Bumthang, is the principal organised producer; high-altitude rock-cliff honey collection by Apis laboriosa is regulated by conservation rules. Domestic demand exceeds production, and India remains the principal source of imports.

Coming of Age in Bhutan

Coming-of-age traditions in Bhutan encompass a range of cultural, religious, and social practices that mark the transition from childhood to adulthood. Unlike many societies that observe a single coming-of-age ceremony, Bhutanese transitions are woven into a series of milestones including religious initiations, assumption of adult dress, participation in communal labour, and the taking on of household responsibilities. These traditions vary across regions, ethnic groups, and social contexts, and have evolved significantly in the modern era.