Bhutan Studies
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Bhutan Studies
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous country, Bhutan is known as "Druk Yul," or "Land of the Thunder Dragon". Nepal and Bangladesh are located near Bhutan but do not share a land border. The country has a population of over 727,145 and territory of and ranks 133rd in terms of land area and 160th in population. Bhutan is a Constitutional Democratic Monarchy with King as head of state and Prime Minister as head of government. Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism is the state religion and the Je Khenpo is the head of state religion. The subalpine Himalayan mountains in the north rise from the country's lush subtropical plains in the south. In the Bhutanese Himalayas, there are peaks higher than above sea level. Gangkhar Puensum is Bhutan's highest peak and is the highest ...
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Druk Tsenden
"Druk Tsenden" ( dz, འབྲུག་ཙན་དན, ; "The Thunder Dragon Kingdom") is the national anthem of Bhutan. Adopted in 1953, the lyrics were written by Dolop Droep Namgay and possibly translated into English by Dasho Gyaldun Thinley. The accompanying music was composed by Aku Tongmi. History Despite claims made in Brozović's ''Enciklopedija'' (1999) and many subsequent authors, who attribute the authorship of the national anthem to Gyaldun Thinley, father of the former Prime Minister Jigme Thinley, there are many who believe that the words and the national anthem itself were penned by ''Dorji Lopen'' Dolop Droep Namgay of Talo, Punakha. The ''Dorji Lopen'' is the most senior of the four senior Lopens in Bhutan's religious establishment, and often serves as the Deputy Je Khenpo. Dolop Droep Namgay maintained close personal and working relations with the third King of Bhutan, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, during whose reign Gyaldun Thinley served in various capacities. It ...
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United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. It is the world's largest and most familiar international organization. The UN is headquarters of the United Nations, headquartered on extraterritoriality, international territory in New York City, and has other main offices in United Nations Office at Geneva, Geneva, United Nations Office at Nairobi, Nairobi, United Nations Office at Vienna, Vienna, and Peace Palace, The Hague (home to the International Court of Justice). The UN was established after World War II with Dumbarton Oaks Conference, the aim of preventing future world wars, succeeding the League of Nations, which was characterized as ineffective. On 25 April 1945, 50 governments met in San Francisco for United Nations Conference ...
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Christianity In Bhutan
The French Internet site "Aide à l'Eglise en détresse" (Aid to the Church in Need) puts the figure of Christians in Bhutan at 12,255, with 1,000 Roman Catholics, making it a total of 0.9% of the population. The population also consists of 84% Buddhists, 11.4% Hindus, 3.4% Animists and 0.3% uncategorized. Origins In 1627 two Pourtugese Jesuits, Estêvão Cacella and João Cabral, traveling from Kochi and attempting to make a new route to the Jesuit mission in Shigatse, Tibet, visited Bhutan. While in Bhutan, Father Cacella and Father Cabral met Ngawang Namgyal, the founder and religious leader of the Bhutanese state, and spent months in his court. The "Zhabdrung strongly encouraged the Jesuits to stay and even allowed them to use a room in Cheri onasteryas a chapel, granted them land in Paro to build a church and sent some of his own attendants to join the congregation. With no success in conversion and despite much discouragement from the Zhabdrung against their departure, th ...
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Bon In Bhutan
Before the introduction of Buddhism in Bhutan, the prevalent religion was Bon. Some scholars assert that it was imported from Tibet and India, perhaps in the eighth century when Padmasambhava introduced his lineages of Vajrayana Buddhism into Tibet and the Himalayas. Some scholars hold that Bön doctrine became so strongly reinvigorated in Bhutan by Buddhism that by the eleventh century it reasserted itself as an independent school. Bön continues to be practiced in modern Bhutan. Scofield (1976: p. 669), one of the first western journalists into Bhutan, outlined that: The dough offering is what is known as a torma. The sacred syllable ''a'', the first letter and sound of the Sanskrit and Tibetan languages, is a bīja mantra about which volumes have been written in Hinduism, Bon and Vajrayana. Ravens are sacred in many traditions and for many peoples. Sources * *Scofield, John (1976). ''Life Slowly Changes In A Remote Himalayan Kingdom''. In ''National Geographic ''N ...
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Hinduism In Bhutan
Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in Bhutan, covering about 22.6% of the population, according to the Pew Research Center 2010. It is followed mainly by the ethnic Lhotshampa. The Shaivite, Vaishnavite, Shakta, Ganapathi, Puranic, and Vedic schools are represented among Hindus. Hindu temples exist in southern Bhutan, and Hindus practice their religion in small- to medium-sized groups. About 75% of the population of Bhutan are Buddhist. History Festival The main festival of Bhutanese Hindus is Dashain. It is the only recognized Hindu public holiday in Bhutan. It was recognized as a holiday in 2015 by the King of Bhutan. He also celebrated Dashain with Hindus that year. The first nine days of Dashain symbolize the battle which took place between the different manifestations of Durga and Mahishasura. The tenth day is the day when Durga finally defeated him. For other Hindus, this festival symbolizes the victory of Ram over Ravan as recounted in the Ramayana. ...
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State Religion
A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular state, secular, is not necessarily a theocracy. State religions are official or government-sanctioned establishments of a religion, but the state does not need to be under the control of the religion (as in a theocracy) nor is the state-sanctioned religion necessarily under the control of the state. Official religions have been known throughout human history in almost all types of cultures, reaching into the Ancient Near East and prehistory. The relation of Cult, religious cult and the state was discussed by the Ancient Rome, ancient Latin scholar Marcus Terentius Varro, under the term of ''theologia civilis'' (). The first state-sponsored Church (congregation), Christian church was the Armenian Apostolic Church, established in 301 CE. In Christianity, as the ter ...
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Buddhism In Bhutan
Buddhism is the most widely practiced religion in Bhutan. Vajrayana Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan, and Buddhists comprise 84.3% and Hinduism 11.3% of its population. Although the Buddhism practiced in Bhutan originated in Tibetan Buddhism, it differs significantly in its rituals, liturgy, and monastic organization. The state religion has long been supported financially by the government through annual subsidies to Buddhist monasteries, shrines, monks, and nuns. In the modern era, support of the state religion during the reign of Jigme Dorji Wangchuck includes the manufacture of 10,000 gilded bronze images of the Buddha, publication of elegant calligraphic editions of the 108-volume Kangyur (Collection of the Words of the Buddha) and the 225-volume Tengyur (Collection of Commentaries), and the construction of numerous ''chorten'' (stupas) throughout the country. Guaranteed representation in the National Assembly and the Royal Advisory Council, Buddhists constitute th ...
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United Nations Population Division
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) is part of the United Nations Secretariat and is responsible for the follow-up to major United Nations Summits and Conferences, as well as services to the United Nations Economic and Social Council and the Second and Third Committees of the United Nations General Assembly. UN DESA assists countries around the world in agenda-setting and decision-making with the goal of meeting their economic, social and environmental challenges. It supports international cooperation to promote sustainable development for all, having as a foundation the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as adopted by the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2015. In providing a broad range of analytical products, policy advice, and technical assistance, UN DESA effectively translates global commitments in the economic, social and environmental spheres into national policies and actions and con ...
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Office Of The United Nations High Commissioner For Human Rights
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nations that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. The office was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 December 1993 in the wake of the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights. The office is headed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who co-ordinates human rights activities throughout the United Nations System and acts as the secretariat of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. The eighth and current High Commissioner is Volker Türk of Austria, who succeeded Michelle Bachelet of Chile on 8 September 2022. In 2018–2019, the department had a budget of $201.6 million (3.7 per cent of the reg ...
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Telephone Numbers In Bhutan
Typical format for telephone numbers in Bhutan are: +975 XX XXXXXX (mobile) and +975 X XXXXXX (fixed line). Fixed Line National Significant Numbers (NSN): seven digits :Area code length: one digit :Subscriber number length: six digits Format: +975 X XXXXXX Area codes List of area codes:http://www.itu.int/oth/T0202000019/en :2 - Thimphu, Simtokha, Dechencholing, Taba, Kharsadrapchu, Basochu, Wangdue, Punakha, Lingshi DAMA, Gasa :3 - Trongsa, Jakar, Chumey, Zhemgang DAMA, Zhemgang, Tingtibi :4 - Trashigang, Kanglung, Lhuntse, Tangmachu, Rangjung, Wamrong, Khaling, Mongar, Sakteng DAMA, Gelpoyshing, Trashi Yangtse, Tsenkharla :5 - Phuntsholing, Pasakha, Gedu, Tala, Padechu, Sinchekha, Lhamoi Zingkha, Samtse, Gomtu, Chargary, Sibsoo :6 - Gelephu, Suray, Lodrai, Sarpang, Tsirang, Damphu DAMA, Dagana, Dagapela, Drujegang, Panbang DAMA :7 - Jongkhar, Deothang, Nganglam, Bangtar DAMA, Daifam DAMA, Nganglam DAMA, Gatshel, Gatshel DAMA :8 - Paro, Drukgyel Dzong, Shaba, Ha, ...
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Bhutan Time
Bhutan Time (BTT) is the time zone of Bhutan. It is six hours ahead of UTC ( UTC+06:00). Bhutan does not observe Daylight saving time. IANA time zone database The IANA time zone database contains one zone for Bhutan in the file zone.tab, which is named Asia/Thimphu. See also *Bangladesh Standard Time Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ... References Geography of Bhutan Time zones {{Standard-stub ...
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Indian Rupee
The Indian rupee ( symbol: ₹; code: INR) is the official currency in the republic of India. The rupee is subdivided into 100 ''paise'' (singular: ''paisa''), though as of 2022, coins of denomination of 1 rupee are the lowest value in use whereas 2000 rupees is the highest. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India. The Reserve Bank manages currency in India and derives its role in currency management on the basis of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. Etymology The immediate precursor of the rupee is the ''rūpiya''—the silver coin weighing 178 grains minted in northern India by first Sher Shah Suri during his brief rule between 1540 and 1545 and adopted and standardized later by the Mughal Empire. The weight remained unchanged well beyond the end of the Mughals until the 20th century. Though Pāṇini mentions (), it is unclear whether he was referring to coinage. ''Arthashastra'', written by Chanakya, prime minister to the first Maurya ...
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