Buddhist Culture
Vajrayana, not Theravada. Maroon robes, not saffron. Bhutan is the one place where this tradition was never interrupted by occupation or revolution.
Buddhism reached Bhutan in the eighth century with Guru Rinpoche and never left. Because the country was never colonised and never invaded successfully, the lineage runs unbroken, which is rarer than it sounds.
What that means on the ground
The dzongs are not preserved monuments. Monks live and study in one half while the district court sits in the other. Temples are in daily use. The wall paintings are being repainted by artists trained in the same thirteen crafts that produced the originals.
What visitors find difficult
Vajrayana iconography includes wrathful deities, skulls, and sexual imagery. None of it is transgressive within the tradition. Each figure represents a specific obstacle being overcome. A guide who can name them turns a disturbing wall into a readable one.
Where to go deeper
Kurjey Lhakhang in Bumthang, built around the cave where Guru Rinpoche meditated. Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro, seventh century. Chimi Lhakhang, the fertility temple of the Divine Madman, reached on foot through rice paddies.
Where it appears
- Every journey we run
- Bhutan at a Glance, 7 days
- Across the Kingdom, 11 days
Best season
- Year round
- Winter for empty temples
- Autumn for clearest travel
Good to know
- Shoes off inside temples
- Walk clockwise around chortens
- Photography rarely allowed in shrines
Understand what you are looking at.
Our guides explain the iconography rather than pointing at it.
Design Your Journey→A boutique travel company creating private journeys through Bhutan, Ladakh and Darjeeling.