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Bhutan is best known to the world
today as the last Shangrila or
paradise. This country is known as
the Druk Yul or ‘Lord of the Thunder
Dragon’ among the natives. There are
snow-capped mountain peaks in the
north of Bhutan. The mountains are
as high as 7300m. There are high
alpine valleys and pastures, steamy
jungles in the Duars, plain in the
south of the country. Bhutan has a
blend of spectacular mountains,
forests, lakes, rich flora and
fauna, unpolluted, unspoiled and
pristine places with scenic beauty
of nature. The architectures in
Dzongs, buildings, houses and
ancient monasteries of Mahayana
Buddhist are worth seeing. Though
the country is small, its topography
varies from place to place
dramatically. The Bhutanese have
protected their sacred heritage and
unique identity for centuries by
choosing to remain shrouded in
guarded isolation. Quite a few
visitors who travelled to this
extraordinary kingdom have
discovered that there is no other
destination like this land of pure
and exotic mysticism.
At the Handicrafts Emporium, you may
choose your souvenirs from an array
of hand-crafted and hand-woven
wares. Tashichhodzong, the main
secretariat building, houses all the
ministers, the National Assembly
Hall, the office of the King and the
Throne Room. It is also the summer
residence of the monk body and the
religious chief, the Je Khempo.
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Old-world capital city is situated
in the Wang Chhu river valley at an
elevation of 7500 ft./2286 m.
The Memorial Chorten is dedicated to
the late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck,
the father of modern Bhutan.
Five miles out of Thimphu, on a
lofty ridge, stands the Simtokha
Dzong which was built in 1627 by
Shabdrung Nawang Namgyal. It was he
who gave Bhutan its first written
laws, and established a network of
Dzongs, the imposing
fortress-monasteries from which the
country was governed.
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