GOING ORGANIC

As an agrarian society, local organic products are high in demand in Bhutan. It was back in 2002 that Bhutan took its first step to embrace organic farming by opening a small organic agriculture (OA) unit under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. During the Rio+20 Summit in 2012, Bhutan...

The Imperial Herons

With a population of less than 200, the White-bellied Heron is among the 50 rarest birds in the world. They are also referred to as the gentle giants because of their mild nature Bhutan shelters a little over 30 white-bellied herons. The Imperial Asian herons were once found across the...

CORDYCEPS – THE HIMALAYAN GOLD

The nomadic Layaps may well live in the remote, hardscrabble northern frontiers but they live with all the modern amenities in place. So much has changed for them in just a few years that they are today among the wealthy lot in the kingdom. Cordyceps sinensis, in the words of...

The Traditional Art Of Healing

The Himalayan Buddhist system of medicine or Sowa Rigpa is still practiced today in Bhutan. When Buddhism was first introduced in Tibet, some of these sacred scriptures and texts from the time of King Kashiraja were translated into Tibetan. It was only in 1616, when the Zhabdrung came to Bhutan,...

ZHUNGDRA – BHUTAN’S OLDEST TRADITIONAL FOLK MUSIC

Zhungdra is the oldest style of traditional Bhutanese folk music and it is distinguished by the way it is sung using extended vocal tones in complex patterns. Singers and dancers form a long line and hold hands when they sing the song. They move in a slow, synchronized order, following...