RELIGION
Bhutan is a Buddhist country and people refer to it as the last stronghold
of Vajrayana Buddhism. Buddhism was first introduced by the Indian Tantric master Guru Padmasambhava in the
8th century. Till then people by and large worshipped all forms of nature, remnants of which are still evident
even today in some remote villages in the country. The older form of religion was referred to as Bon and was
accompanied by offerings of animal sacrifice and worshipped a host of deities invoking and propitiating them.
They believed in invisible forces and considered them as the rightful owners of different elements of nature.
Mountain peaks considered as abodes of Guardian deities (Yul lha), the lakes as inhabited by lake deities (Tsho mem),
cliffs resided by cliff deities (Tsen), land belonging to the subterranean deities (Lue), land inhabited by (Sabdag),
water sources inhabited by water deities (Chu gi Lhamu), and dark places haunted by the demons (due) etc.
With the visit of Padmasambhava, Buddhism began to take firm roots and especially led to the propagation of the
Nyingmapa (the ancient or the older) school of Buddhism.
The visit of Phajo Drugom Zhigpo's from Ralung in Tibet to Bhutan in 1222 marks another milestone in the history
of Bhutan and in Buddhism. He was instrumental in introducing yet another school of Buddhism - the Drukpa Kagyu
that is today the state religion of the country. His sons and descendants were also instrumental in spreading it
to many other parts in western Bhutan.
Buddhism is still vibrant and alive. The Dzongs, monasteries, stupas, prayer flags, and prayer wheels punctuate
the Bhutanese landscape. The chime of ritual bells, sound of gongs, people circumambulating temples and stupas,
fluttering prayer flags, red robed monks conducting rituals, among many others are all living case in point to
reveal that Buddhism is an essential ingredient of a Bhutanese life.