The geographic position, language and society of Bhutan

Bhutan is a tiny nation in South Asia with a surface area of about 47,000 sq. km; Bhutan stretches along the southern slopes of the Himalayas for some 400 km.

It is flanked on the north by Tibet, on the south by the West Bengal and Assam, on the east by Arunachal Pradesh and on the west by Sikkim and Chumbi Valley of Tibet.

Bhutan’s traditional boundary with Tibet follows for the most part the crest of the Great Himalayan range. Though this boundary has been sanctified by custom and usage, China, which took effective control of Tibet in 1951, does not recognise this boundary.

The country’s boundary with India lies to the south of the Himalayan range in the Duar plains. This boundary evolved as a result of the British-annexation of a major portion of the Duars region in the mid- 19th century. Physically, the country can be broadly divided into three lateral zones, with each having a distinct ecology. Bordering Tibet are the northern Highlands or the Great Himalayas. Six major passes in the peaks reaching up to a height of24000 ft lead to a very thinly populated areas of northern Bhutan.

The alpine pastures here are used for grazing yaks and cultivation of few grain crops and potatoes. Until China occupied Tibet, Bhutanese traders used to cross the passes taking cloth, spices and grains into Tibet and bring back salt, wool and sometimes herds of yaks.

Below the Great Himalayan region is the Inner Himalayan region where the principal rivers of Bhutan flow. Because of lower elevation and exposure to moist monsoon winds, this region has vegetation ranging from dense forests in the lower slopes to alpine vegetation at the higher levels.

Most of the cultivable land of the country is in this region, where rice and other grain crops such as barley, buck wheat and maize are cultivated. With most of the population of the country concentrated in this region, it is the economic and cultural heartland of Bhutan. South of the Inner Himalayas and the foothills are the narrow Duar plains which form a strip 20 to 25 km wide along the southern borders of Bhutan.

Subject to excessive rains, the Duar plains have a hot and humid tropical climate. Because of unhealthy climate and dense tropical forest cover, the region is thinly populated, though a few market centres and towns have sprung up in recent past. Bhutan has rich mineral deposits such as graphite, lead-zinc, gypsum, and limestone, dolomite, slate and marble.

Its main natural resources are the hydro-electric potential of its perennial and fast flowing rivers and abundant tropical and alpine forest wealth. The principal rivers-Torso, Raidak, Sankosh and Manas- criss-crossing the main geographical regions derive their water from rainfall and snow. The forests are spread over two-thirds of its area. The agricultural area has been expanding over the recent years largely through clearance of forests.

Society

In this diverse physical setting in which the climate ranges from bitter cold winters in the north to hot and steamy tropics in the south, many ethnic groups have settled. In 2001, Bhutan had a population of 276000. The people of Bhutan can be broadly divided into two cultural groups: the Drukpas and the Lhotshampas.

The Drukpas comprise a number of groups like the Ngalopas in the west, the Mongolpas, the Khenpas, the Bumthangpas, and the Kurtoepas in the central region, and the Sharchopas in the east. Although these groups speak different languages and dialects, they all follow the Drukpa school of Mahayana Buddhism. The Ngalops and the Sharchopas are large in number.

The Ngalops constitute about 28 per cent of the country’s population and are largely concentrated in the western part of Bhutan. They speak Dzongkha, a Tibetan dialect which has developed distinct Bhutanese characteristics of its ₀wn over the past few centuries.

The Sharchopas account for about 44 per cent of the population and live in the eastern part of the country. They are akin to the inhabitants of the north-western states of India. They speak different dialects of non-Tibetan origin and have their own dress, food habits and festivals.

The Mongolpas, the Khenpas, the Bumthangpas and the Kurtoepas are small in number, accounting for 2 to 4 per cent each of the population. They all are indigenous people and they belong to the Drukapa culture, the mainstream culture of Bhutan.

The Lhotshampas are the Southern Bhutanese of Nepalese origin. Constituting nearly one third of the country’s population, the Lhotshampas, by and large follow Hinduism. They are the main ethnic group in Bhutan as they constitute a distinct linguistic and cultural group. Most of them migrated into Bhutan in the 19th century.

They possibly got mixed up with the Koches of north Bihar and Bengal, the Rajbansis of north Bengal and Shanahoms of Assam. Even since the road building activities began in early 1960s, a large number of Indian and Nepali Gorkhas also came to Bhutan as labourers. Since these people are issued work permits, they are not treated as fully fledged citizens. In 1959, Bhutan passed a law banning immigration.

Language

There are four main languages in the country: Dzongkha, Bhumthangkha, Sharchagkha and Nepali and approximately 14 minor dialects. However, Dmngkha is the official national language of Bhutan. It is closely related to classical Tibetan script.

Though Dmngkha is largely spoken in western regions of the country, the government has sought to advance the diffusion and status of this language by making it obligatory study in all schools throughout the country. The purpose behind adoption of one language is clearly to have a cohesive force which may bring different linguistic groups, living in different valleys, under one national community.

Religion

Religion plays a unique role in the social, cultural and political life of the people of Bhutan. The original religion of Bhutan is said to be Bon.

The Drukpa sect (Red Hat) of Mahayana Buddhism, which is the state religion of Bhutan, is believed to have been introduced into Bhutan by Guru Padmasambhave, an Indian Buddhist monk, in the 8th century it is, however, Lama Ngawang Namgyal who gave a distinct political identity to Bhutan and established theocracy. Buddhism has become inseparable from Bhutanese state and society.

The ecclesiastical class, the Lamas, constitute a very powerful group in Bhutanese society. According to some estimates, there are about 8500 Lamas in the country. With the process of modernization, the institution of Lamaism and the privileged position of the Lamas in the Bhutanese society are being questioned.

The head of the monastic establishment is the Je Khempo, the head priest. Though the monarch is now the head of both the state as well as the religious establishment, the Je Khempo retains authority over all religious matters, and is the only person, besides the ruler, permitted to wear the saffron scarf, symbolic of highest authority. The central monastery of Bhutan, Tashidmng, is at Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan and is among the oldest in the country. It is the headquarters of the Government of Bhutan.