Bhutan
"The Happiest Country in All of Asia"
History
For many centuries, the outside world had no name for Bhutan. Its lofty frontiers wrapped it in an impenetrable cloak of mystery. The Tibetan chroniclers of the 18th century referred to it by many names, including "Hidden Holy Land," The Southern Valley of Medicinal Herbs," and "the Lotus Garden of the Gods." However, the Bhutanese have had a name for their own country for centuries. They still refer to their land as Druk Yul, literally meaning "The Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon. Bhutan's historical period begins at about 747 A.D., when the revered religious leader Guru Padma Sambhava came from Tibet and introduced Buddhism to the country.
Culture
Bhutanese tradition is deeply steeped in its Buddhist heritage, be it the dress (The national dress for Bhutanese men, Kho and for women Kira), the language (Bhutanese or Dzongkha), the cultural activities (including masked dances, dance dramas accompanied by traditional music at festivals) or its national sport archery, which you may have a feel of when you visit Bhutan. Ema datshi, the national dish of Bhutanese is a very spicy dish made with cheese and chilies and take great pride in it and you must try it too. The people also take great pride in asserting that Bhutan is the first country in the world to have banned the sale of tobacco under its Tobacco Act of 2010, hence you can ensure clean and fresh air.
Nature
While you travel through Bhutan you will find steep and high mountains crisscrossing by networks of swift rivers. The extraordinary geographical diversity and the diverse climate conditions play an important in contributing to Bhutan's outstanding range of biodiversity and ecosystems, which are worth seeing. Bhutan is the Only Carbon-Negative country in the world. Bhutan's high, rugged mountains and deep valleys are rich with spectacular biodiversity, making one of the world's ten most important biodiversity 'hotspots'. For centuries, Bhutanese have treasured the natural environment and have looked upon it as the source of all life.
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. More than two-thirds of the Bhutanese citizens follow Vajrayana Buddhism (also the state religion) and around one-third follow Hinduism, which is the second most dominant religion in Bhutan. People from all over the world come to visit the Bhutanese monasteries. Religious leader Guru Padma Sambhava is also known as Guru Rinpoche came from Tibet and introduced Buddhism to the country.
