In Buddhism and Hinduism, a mandala has profound spiritual significance. It stands for the age-old idea that the universe is a phenomena that never ends and that the wheel of life and death turns repeatedly in a cyclical manner. A mandala is often interpreted as a symbol of the universe...
Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric or Mahayana Buddhism. Vajrayana ideas and practices such as altruistic intention, compassion, emptiness, Buddha Nature, and its rituals dominate the Buddhist system in Bhutan. It is for this reason that Bhutan is frequently branded as the last bastion of Mahayana Buddhism. Vajrayana is...
In Bhutan paintings are executed to express devotion. So, one way or the other, representation in Bhutanese art is a dramatization of the struggle between good and evil. According to Bhutanese tradition, art has more to do with interpreting values rather than describing facts. An artist’s aim, by the symbolic...
Pray flags or Lungta (Pic Courtesy: Pema Gyamtsho) Prayer flags are an integral part of Bhutanese cultural heritage. Indeed, they are everywhere, alongside highways, on high mountain passes, in and around monasteries and dzongs, and the mighty peaks that look over the country. The Bhutanese believe that with each flutter,...
Mask Dance performed at Druk Wangyel Tshechu Bhutan is a land of magnificent mountains, thick-forested valleys and imposing dzongs. It’s a country where the landscape is dotted with blue poppies, snow leopards and innumerable banners of bright flapping prayer flags. Almost all throughout the 20th century, Bhutan was all but...
