I
love traveling. It not only lifts my spirit, but also enriches me both
mentally and physically. Over and above, my hobby of traveling has shaped and
broadened my worldview. Out of that urge to explore new horizon, I decided to
travel to Bhutan. Bhutan is a small and locked country in the foothills of
mighty Himalayas. One can travel to Bhutan by road as well as by air.
The
only airport of Bhutan is situated in the beautiful valley of Paro which is
about 50 km away from Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. But I personally prefer
train journey that is why, I boarded a train from Guwahati and got down at
Hasimara Railway Station, which is nearly railway station to Indo-Bhutan border.
From Hasimara I took a taxi and went to Phuentscholing, the border town of
Bhutan. After taking permit in the immigration office in Phuentscholing, I
started my journey to Thimphu.
Thimphu
is not only the capital but also the largest city of the kingdom of Bhutan. It
is situated at the western central part of Bhutan. The city is spread out laterally
in a north-south direction on the west bank of Wang Chuu river. The culture of
Bhutan is fully reflected in Thimphu, be it literature,
religion,customs,national dress code, the monestic practices, music, dance or
media. Thimphu contains most of the political buildings in Bhutan, including
the National Assembly of the newly formed parliamentary democracy and Dechencholing
palace, the official residence of the king. Another important landmark of
Thimphu is Buddha Dordenma.
It is a gigantic, meditative statue of lord Buddha
that sits overlooking the southern path of Thimphu. At a height of 169 feet, it
is the largest Buddha statue in the world. It can be seen from practically
anywhere when driving around Thimphu.
After
spending a couple of days in Thimphu, I headed for Paro, the 2nd
largest city in Bhutan.It is historic town with many sacred sites. The Dungtse
Lhakhang is a 15th century temple situated in Paro. There is a royal palace
named Ugyen Peril palace. Member of royal famliy take rest in that palace when
passing. About 10 km outside Paro town is the famous Taktshang Hermitage or
Tigers’ nest, on the face of a sheer 3281 feet cliff.
This
is highly sacred to the Bhutanese people because they believe that Guru
Rinpoche , the father of Bhutanese Buddhism
landed here on the back tigress. After visiting Tigers’ nest I started
my homeward journey with an enriched mind.
Bhutan
is a calm, quiet and happy country. Bhutan measures prosperity by gauging its
citizens’ happiness level, not by the GDP(Gross development process).The phrase
GNH(Gross national happiness) is a measurment of collective happiness of the nation. It is a
term which was coined by Bhutans’ 4th dragon king Gigma Singye
Wangchuck in 1972. This is based on the
cultural values and the deeply rooted love for humanity and life which us
Indians need to learn a lot from.
Abinash
Kalita
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