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 Tucked away in the depths of the Eastern Himalayas, the 47,000 sq km small kingdom of Bhutan, or Druk Yul,
is little known and lesser visited. A forbidden land for centuries, this country was touted last year by National
Geographic Adventure magazine along with Irian Jaya as one of the world's top 25 adventure destinations.
 Still, the kingdom maintains a policy of "low volume - high quality tourism" and retains its exclusiveness in the
world of travel. From high mountain peaks to deep lush valleys, from modern apartments in Thimphu to
farmland barns, from meditative monks deep in prayer to fluttering prayers and vibrant, colorful festivals.
Over the last few centuries, difficult natural terrain and a self-imposed policy of isolation saw to it that life here
stayed virtually unchanged. It was only in the early 1960s that Bhutan opened up its doors to the world beyond
and plunged into a new age of socio-economic development.
 This development has, nonetheless, been slow and guarded because the government, a constitutional monarchy,
has always held caution to be more valuable than reckless abandon. Wedged between China and India, the two
most populous countries in the world, and being disadvantaged with little military or economic strength, Bhutan
has been compelled to stay different in order to safeguard its sovereignty. The most practical way to achieve this
has been to preserve and promote its unique culture.
 Religion is the other value system that holds the Bhutanese people together. Tantric Mahayana Buddhism of the
Drukpa Kagyu sect has survived unblemished here for centuries and continues to be the officially adopted
religion of the state. But it is a religion that is more about tolerance than fanaticism - the people are allowed to
ractise any faith of their choice.
 A multitude of factors have influenced the social fabric of Bhutan. Among them, religion and culture form the
common thread that runs through the government, art, architecture, literature, music, indeed through the entire
social fabric of the country.
 Caught between the old world and the new, Bhutan is also a land of contrasts. Television and the internet were
introduced here no longer than two years ago but we are already the third Asian country after Singapore and
Hong Kong to have an entirely digital telecommunications network.
 The Kingdom of Bhutan is a sovereign nation, located towards the eastern extreme of
the Himalayasmountain range. It is fairly evenly sandwiched between the sovereign territory of
two nations: first, the People's Republic of China on the north and northwest. There are
approximately 477 kilometres of border with that nation's Tibet Autonomous Region. The
second nation is the Republic of India on the south, southwest, and east; there are approximately
659 kilometres with the states of Arunachal Pradesh,Assam, West Bengal, and Sikkim, in
clockwise order from the kingdom. Bhutan's total borders amount to 1,139 kilometres.
The Republic of Nepal to the west, the People's Republic of Bangladesh to the south, and
the Union of Myanmar to the southeast are other close neighbours; the former two are separated
by only very small stretches of Indian territory.
 Bhutan is a very compact nation, but with just a small bit more length than width. The nation's
territory totals an approximate 46,500 square kilometres. Because of its inland, landlocked status,
it controls noterritorial waters. Bhutan's territory used to extend south into present-day Assam,
including theprotectorate of Cooch Behar, but, starting from 1772, the British East India
Company began to push back the borders through a number of wars and treaties, severely
reducing Bhutan's size until the Treaty of Sinchula of 1865, when some border land was ceded
back. Later, many of these territories were permanently lost to British India under the Treaty of
Punakha.

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 Bhutan is divided into 20 dzongkhags (districts), and further into 205 gewogs (village blocks).
Gewogs are in turn divided into numerous thromdes (municipalities) for administration.

 Natural geography

 The Himalaya mountains of Bhutan dominate the north of the country, where peaks can easily
reach 7,000 metres (22,966 ft); the highest point in Bhutan is Gangkhar Puensum, which has the
distinction of being the highest unclimbed mountain in the world, at 7,570 metres
(24,840 ft).[1] Weather is extreme in the mountains: the high peaks have perpetual snow, and the
lesser mountains and hewn gorges have high winds all year round, making them barren brown
 wind tunnels in summer, and frozen wastelands in winter. The blizzards generated in the north
each winter often drift southward into the central highlands.
 Below the rock and ice of the highest peaks lies an extensive arc of Eastern Himalayan alpine
shrub and meadows, which contain, in additions to grasslands, a wide variety
of rhododendrons and herbaceous plants.
 The highlands are the most populous part of the nation; the capital Thimphu lies in the western
region. The region is characterised by its many rivers (flowing into India's Brahmaputra), its
isolated valleys that house most of the population, and the expansive forests that cover seventy
percent of the nation. The highlands have Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests at higher
elevations and Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests at lower elevations. Winters are cold,
summer are hot; the rainy season is accompanied with frequented landslides.
 The valleys of Bhutan are linked by a series of passes ("La" in Dzongkha). Between the Haa
valley andParo Valley is the Chele La (3,780 metres (12,402 ft)). The Chele La is the highest
pass crossed by a Bhutanese highway. The Lateral Road from Thimphu to Punakha crosses
the Dochu La (3,116 metres (10,223 ft)), which features 108 chortens built to commemorate the
expulsion of Assamese guerrillas. East of Wangdue Phodrang is the Pele La (3,390 metres
(11,122 ft)). Continuing to the east along the main highway, other major passes include
the Yotang La, Shertang La, Wangthang La, Thrumshing La and Kori La (2,298 metres
(7,539 ft)).
 The extreme southern strip of the nation consists mostly of Himalayan subtropical broadleaf
forests that grade into the tropical plains of the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands, more typical
of India. It is largely agricultural land, producing mostly rice. Only two percent of Bhutan
is arable land, with most of it focused here.
 Centuries of isolationism, a small population, and topographical extremes have led to Bhutan
maintaining one of the most intactecosystems in the world. The country ranks amongst the top
ten countries in the world in terms of species density (species richness per unit area). Over fifty-
five hundred varieties of plant life exist, including around three-hundred medicinal ones. More
than 770 species of avifauna and more than 165 species of mammals are known to exist,
including many rare and endangered species like thered panda, snow leopard, and golden langur.
 History
 Excavations and ruins suggest Bhutan was settled as long as 4,000 years ago, although the
written history of the area begins around the time Buddhism was introduced to the central region
of Bumthang, in the 7th century. Legend states the great Tibetan lama Guru Rinpoche visited
Bhutan in the 8th century. Influenced first by neighboring Tibet and in the 14th century by Yuan
Dynasty China and its Mongol rulers, the country’s political development has been strongly
affected by its religious history.
 Previously divided into warring fiefdoms, Bhutan was finally unified in the 17th century by
Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, a military leader and Tibetan lama who escaped persecution by
fleeing Tibet. Shabdrung was responsible for the series of defensive fortresses still visible today
and initiated a legal code to bring the local rulers under central control. Both moves were
instrumental in protecting Bhutan from raids by the warlike Tibetans.
 During Shabdrung’s rule, Bhutan was visited by Portuguese Jesuit explorers on their way to
Tibet, which was the first contact the country had with Europeans. After Shabdrung’s death in
1651, which was kept secret for an astonishing 54 years, Bhutan again returned to internal
conflict and, in 1711, began a war with the powerful Mughal Empire. This unwise move led to
an unsuccessful attack by the Tibetans in 1744 and chaos in the country.
 By 1772, Bhutanese forces had captured the nearby state of Cooch Behar, whose ruler appealed
to the British East India Company for assistance. In 1774, having driven the Bhutanese forces
out of the occupied state, the British East India Company attacked Bhutan itself. A peace treaty
forced the country back behind its earlier borders, and conflict with British forces continued for
100 years until the Duar War in 1864, which was won by the British.
 Civil war raged on in Bhutan from the late 19th century to 1907, and the establishment of the
monarchy did little to bring peace. When India won independence from British rule in 1947,
Bhutan was the first country to recognize the sub-continent as an independent country, and, in
1953, the third Bhutanese king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, formed a national assembly followed
by a cabinet in 1964. Hindu Bhutanese originally from Nepal were forced out of the country in
the 1990’s in an effort to strengthen the country’s Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist identity and
culture.
 Culture
 Bhutan’s culture is strongly based on its Tibetan form of Mahayana Buddhism, which contains a
sprinkling of Tibet’s ancient Bon shamanist religion. The country’s rich heritage, protected by
Bhutan’s isolation from the modern world until the 1960’s, is still very much in evidence. For
most visitors to the country, Bhutan’s traditions and uniqueness are the main attractions, just
ahead of its spectacular and mostly unspoiled natural beauty.
 Bhutanese national dress is still worn across the country, and its design is tightly linked to class
and social status. Men wear a belted, knee-length robe and women wear ankle length dresses,
again belted at the waist. The texture of the fabric, its colors, its embroideries, and its woven
decorations all determine the wearer’s class, as do the colors of the scarves and shawls carried by
women. In Bhutan, traditionally a feudal society, status plays a strong part in human interaction.
 Bhutanese law requires the wearing of the national costume in all public places, especially
during the many religious festivals. These occasions see women in their finest, bedecked with
heavy jewelry which is ornamented with coral and uncut turquoise stones. Family life revolves
around the temples, and inheritance passes through the female line. Arranged marriages are
common in rural areas and, occasionally, polygamy is an accepted state.
 Etiquette here is important, with a government ministry responsible for maintaining the standards
and prerequisites of clothing, eating, speech, and respect to officials and the Buddhist clergy. The
long-protected indigenous forms of the Buddha’s teachings are preserved by a charitable
institution set up in 2002. The two main languages of Bhutan, Sharchop and Dzongkha, are
closely related to the Tibetan language, while Bhutanese art with its innumerable divine beings is
closely related to Tibetan art.
 The Bhutanese national sports of archery and digor, which involves the throwing of horseshoes
and metal balls, are firmly rooted in the cultural heritage of the country. Archery contests are
regularly held, and involve as much a social element as competition. Dancing, music, food, and
drink are part of the riotous challenges between villages, with local supporters doing their best to
distract the rival team. Another popular team sport involves throwing heavy wooden darts at a
target between 30 and 60 feet away.

 Bhutan Buffer
 Bhutan’s reluctance to have diplomatic relations with China all these decades has been one of the
many irritants in Sino-Indian relations.
 Bhutan Buffer
 Bhutan’s reported decision to establish diplomatic relations with China marks an end to the
system of buffer states that the British Raj had created in the 19th century to secure the
subcontinent against encroachments from external powers.
 Although the government of Bhutan has not confirmed these reports,which have all emanated
from the Chinese side,there is no denying Thimphu’s growing interest in the normalisation of
relations with Beijing.
 The Prime Minister of Bhutan,Jigme Y. Thinley had apparently told Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao on the sidelines of a recent international summit in Brazil that Thimphu is ready to forge
diplomatic ties with China. Pleased with the diplomatic breakthrough,Wen,according to the
Chinese media,has offered to “complete border demarcation with Bhutan at an early date”.
 Bhutan’s reluctance to have diplomatic relations with China all these decades has been one of the
many irritants in Sino-Indian relations. Beijing was convinced that Delhi,which has a special
relationship with Thimphu,was limiting Bhutan’s engagement with China.
 Beijing never accepted Delhi’s presumed claims that the subcontinent was India’s “exclusive”
sphere of influence. China always affirmed its right to establish comprehensive relations with
India’s smaller neighbours.
 In the past,whenever bilateral relations with India were tense,Beijing denounced Delhi’s attempts
to perpetuate the regional “hegemony” of the Raj. Through a series of treaties in the 19th
century,the Raj had created a ring-fence of protectorates from the Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia.
 These smaller states agreed to limit their interaction with other European powers and gave
considerable say for Calcutta and later Delhi over the conduct of their foreign policies. In
return,the Raj provided financial support and military security.
 This system inevitably fell apart after India’s independence,Partition,the Cold War and China’s
emergence. The only exceptions were the three fresh treaties that India signed with the
Himalayan Kingdoms — Bhutan,Nepal and Sikkim — during 1949-50. Alarmed by Communist
China’s entry into Tibet in the middle of the 20th century,the monarchies turned to India for
protection.
 By the early 1960s,Nepal’s political classes discovered the virtues of playing the China card in
Delhi and criticising the 1950 peace and friendship treaty with India. When Sikkim’s Chogyal
crossed the red line and its people called for India’s assistance,Delhi integrated the state into the
Indian union in 1975.
 Bhutan,by contrast,chose to build on the special relationship with India defined by the 1949
treaty of friendship and established a deep economic and political relationship with Delhi.
Bhutan,it is quite clear,cannot forever remain at arms length from China.
 Ring-Fence
 Sections of the Indian strategic community continue to hanker after an “exclusive” sphere of
influence in the subcontinent and frequently protest against cooperation between the smaller
states of South Asia and China.
 Realists in the security establishment,however,recognise the impossibility of maintaining the
ring-fence erected by the Raj through unequal treaties. Instead of objecting to China’s outreach
to South Asian states,Delhi,over the last decade,has emphasised the deepening of its own special
relations with neighbours.
 India recognises that Bhutan will,sooner rather than later,develop productive cooperation with
China. That applies equally to other neighbours of India,all of whom must be expected to
develop deeper ties with China in the coming decades.
 Signalling a new approach,Delhi took the initiative to rewrite the 1949 treaty with Thimphu. In
2007,India signed a new treaty that modernised the political framework for the bilateral
relationship amidst Bhutan’s internal democratic transition and growing external interests.
 Seeking to anchor its relations with neighbours in sets of shared interests,India has signed special
partnership agreements with Afghanistan,Bangladesh,and the Maldives last year. India says it is
ready to review the 1950 treaty with Nepal.
 Chumbi Salient
 While it is unlikely to oppose Bhutan’s diplomatic relations with China,Delhi would surely stay
in close touch with Thimphu on the nature of its proposed boundary settlement with Beijing.
 Delhi would want to assess the political consequences of China resolving the boundary dispute
with Bhutan while putting that with India on the back-burner. Even more important are the
military implications of any territorial adjustment in the Chumbi valley between Thimphu and
Beijing.
 The Chumbi salient — where India,China and western Bhutan meet — is like a dagger pointed at
the narrow Siliguri Corridor that connects India with its northeastern states. Any boundary
settlement between China and Bhutan that alters the currently disputed Chumbi trijunction in
Beijing’s favour will have a negative bearing on Delhi’s military plans for the defence of its
northern frontiers.

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 Bhutan–India relations
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 Indian PM Narendra Modi meets with
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Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay
 The bilateral relations between
the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan and the Republic of India have been traditionally close and
both countries share a 'special relationship',[1][2] making Bhutan a protected state, but not
a protectorate, of India.[3][4] India remains influential over Bhutan's foreign policy, defence and
commerce. In 2012–13 fiscal, India's budgetary support to the Kingdom country stood at
US$600 million (around INR 30 billion). It steadily rose over the years to reach US$985 million
(INR 61.60 billion) in 2015–16 making Bhutan the largest beneficiary of India's foreign
aid. Bhutan’s Prime minister, Tshering Tobgay, secured an additional aid package
from India worth INR 54 billion (US$819 million, as per the exchange rates at the time of
 signing the deal) for his nation during his visit to New Delhi in August 2013. Five-sixth of this
amount (INR 45 billion) has been earmarked for Bhutan's 11th Five-Year plan. INR 4 billion
was for the pending projects of the previous plan period. The remaining INR 5 billion was part of
India's "Economic stimulus package" for Bhutan's slowing economy. India operates 3 hydro
power projects, of 1,416 MW in Bhutan and 3 more of 2,129 MW are under construction.
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 For much of its history, Bhutan has preserved its isolation from the outside world, staying out of
international organisations and maintaining few bilateral relations. Bhutan became
a protectorate of British India after signing a treaty in 1910 allowing the British to "guide" its
foreign affairs and defence. Bhutan was one of the first to recognise India's independence in
1947 and both nations fostered close relations, their importance augmented by the annexation of
Tibet in 1950 by the People's Republic of China and its border disputes with both Bhutan and
India, which saw close ties with Nepal and Bhutan to be central to its "Himalayan frontier"
security policy[citation needed]. India shares a 605 kilometres (376 mi) border with Bhutan and is its
largest trading partner, accounting for 98 percent of its exports and 90 percent of its imports.
 Military cooperation
 A 1,000 strong Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) is permanently based in western
Bhutan to train the Royal Bhutan Army, while other units regularly cooperate with the Royal
Bhutan Army.
 1949 treaty
 On August 8, 1949 Bhutan and India signed the Treaty of Friendship, calling for peace between
the two nations and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.[9] However, Bhutan agreed
to let India "guide" its foreign policy and both nations would consult each other. The treaty also
established free trade andextradition protocols. Scholars regard the effect of the treaty is to make
Bhutan into a protected state, but not a protectorate, because Bhutan continues to have the power
to conduct its own foreign policy.
 The occupation of Tibet by Communist China brought both nations even closer.[9][11] In 1958, the
then-Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Bhutan and reiterated India's support for
Bhutan's independence and later declared in the Indian Parliament that any aggression against
Bhutan would be seen as aggression against India.
 In August 1959, there was a rumour in India political circle that China was seeking to
'liberate' Sikkim in 1975 and Bhutan. Nehru stated in the Lok Sabha that the defence of the
territorial uprightness and frontiers of Bhutan was the responsibility of the Government of
India. This statement was immediately objected to by the Prime Minister of Bhutan, saying
Bhutan is not a protectorate of India nor did the treaty involve national defence of any sort.
 The period saw a major increase in India's economic, military and development aid to Bhutan,
which had also embarked on a programme of modernisation to bolster its security. While India
repeatedly reiterated its military support to Bhutan, the latter expressed concerns about India's
ability to protect Bhutan against China while fighting a two-front war
involving Pakistan. Despite good relations, India and Bhutan did not complete a
 detailed demarcation of their borders until the period between 1973 and 1984. Border
demarcation talks with India generally resolved disagreements except for several small sectors,
including the middle zone between Sarpang and Geylegphug and the eastern frontier with the
Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
 Indo-Bhutanese relations par 1972i
 Although relations remained close and friendly, the Bhutanese government expressed a need to
renegotiate parts of the treaty to enhance Bhutan's sovereignty.[9] Bhutan began to slowly assert
an independent attitude in foreign affairs by joining the United Nations in 1971,
recognising Bangladesh and signing a new trade agreement in 1972 that provided an exemption
from export duties for goods from Bhutan to third countries. Bhutan exerted its independent
stance at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit conference in Havana, Cuba also in 1979,
by voting with China and some Southeast Asian countries rather than with India on the issue of
allowing Cambodia's Khmer Rouge to be seated at the conference.[9] Unlike in Nepal, where
its 1950 treaty with India has been the subject of great political controversy and nationalist
resentment because of Indian immigrants in Nepal, the nature of Bhutan's relationship with India
has not been affected by concerns over the treaty provisions. From 2003 to 2004, the Royal
Bhutanese Army conducted operations against anti-India insurgents of the United Liberation
Front of Assam (ULFA) that were operating bases in Bhutan and using its territory to carry out
attacks on Indian soil.
 2007 treaty
 India re-negotiated the 1949 treaty with Bhutan and signed a new treaty of friendship in 2007.
The new treaty replaced the provision requiring Bhutan to take India's guidance on foreign
policy with broader sovereignty and not require Bhutan to obtain India's permission over arms
imports. In 2008, India's then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singhvisited Bhutan and expressed
strong support for Bhutan's move towards democracy.[6] India allows 16 entry and exit points for
Bhutanese trade with other countries (the only exception being the PRC) and has agreed to
develop and import a minimum of 10,000 megawatts of electricity from Bhutan by 2021.