Museums are Bhutan’s must-visit places, where history, tradition, social life and religious beliefs are showcased. The National Folk Heritage Museum in the capital city of Thimphu, for instance, is a replica of the country’s farmhouses of yore. We are warmly greeted with a welcome drink served in tiny wooden bowls — Pala, as they call it. “Completely organic,” says Karka, the official guide there, dressed in Gho, the traditional attire of Bhutanese men. He tells us that Pala is made from fermented rice and wheat, buckwheat and wine. The taste, well, it depends on your palate!
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Here, visitors can try their hand at archery, Bhutan’s national sport. Tourists are seen having pictures clicked wearing a Gho, and women, the traditional Kira, a comfortable wraparound with a sleeved shirt. We are urged to pray and aim coins at the huge urn of water under a statue of Buddha, an act believed to fulfil your wishes! Handicrafts by local artisans and textiles are for sale in the couple of shops inside.
Unique craft items
Bhutan’s crafts are unique — like the lunchboxes made of light bamboo used from the olden days to the present. Time seems to have frozen here!
Our next halt is Thimphu’s Motithang Takin Preserve. Originally a mini zoo, it now houses only Takins — the national animal, with a face of a goat and the body of a cow. But a bit monotonous to keep watching so many of the same kind.
The simplicity of the Royal Palace at Thimphu from the outside is surprising — an unassuming three-storey structure in a huge compound! We hear it has a helipad and a fantastic banquet hall for international leaders and guests. Interestingly, it also houses a woodcraft centre and an embroidery school! We even saw a couple of stray dogs lazing nearby! Incidentally, canines are aplenty on the roads of Thimphu. “They don’t harm tourists,” reassures Paramesh, our guide, as we walk along the shopping areas.
The National Memorial Chorten in Thimphu, built by Queen Phuntsho Choden Wangchuk, (veritable tongue twister!) in memory of her son, attracts us with its aesthetically built stupa that has a crescent moon and sun, and carvings of Gautama Buddha and Padmasambhava, among others.
On the way to the city of Punakha, we stop at Dochula, a mountain Pass, on the Thimphu-Punakha road, surrounded by the snow-covered Himalayas. The 108 chortens (stupas) here, built by the eldest Queen Mother, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, are a connoisseur’s delight.
Punakha Dzong (Palace of Great Happiness), the second oldest and largest Dzong in Bhutan, is the administrative centre of Punakha District. Incredible as it is, this government office building is a tourist spot too! The gorgeous six-storey structure, with scenic mountains as backdrop, gushing rivers below, a prayer hall, Bodhi tree, stupa, artistic prayer wheels and murals and portraits, is breathtakingly beautiful.
Reverence for nature
The Dzong is at the confluence of Rivers Pho Chu and Mo Chu (Father and Mother). The clean banks and clear waters bear testimony to the Bhutanese reverence for nature — Bhutan is the only carbon-negative country in the world!
Rafting on Pho Chu and Mo Chu (each has a distinct colour) and watching the rivers converge to finally meet the Brahmaputra, offer not-to-miss excitement. Those with yen for more fun can walk to the other side, on the Punakha Suspension Bridge nearby.
We return to Paro and make a beeline for the National Museum of Bhutan, which boasts of artefacts that date back to 4,000 B.C. Housed in a cylindrical shaped building, it is a culture centre, which caters to connoisseurs, historians, scholars, devotees, students and tourists alike.
Masks in brilliant hues, Green Thara, Maha Kala and other deities in Thangka paintings and portraits of great Buddhists, including Indian born scholar Acharya Gunaprabha, make an impressive array.
Bhutan’s other places of tourist attraction are Gangteng, the home of black-necked cranes, near Punakha and the Royal Botanical Park with its rare species of plants and animals, on the way to Paro. Of course, there are more!
