A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale according to United States Geological Survey rocked Bhutan at around 3 pm on Sep 23. The epicenter centered 180km east of Thimphu in Mongar, a small town in eastern Bhutan.
The earthquake destroyed houses and monasteries. Lhuntshi Dzong, one of the oldest forts in the east has been severely damaged by the quake. The total estimate of the damaged is yet to be accessed by the district local Government.
Four labourers working on the road lost their lives when boulders and trees came hurtling down the hill killing them on the spot. A severly injured woman who was taken to a hospital succumbed to her injuries there taking the death toll to 5 people.
In Trashiyangtse, a small town in the east people ran out of their houses when they felt the tremor. While only few people in Thimphu actually felt the tremor.
Earthquake of similar magnitude was felt in early 20th century.
Bhutan lies in the earthquake belt making it vulnerable to earthquakes of even bigger magnitude in future.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Bhutan village festival
Bhutan Festivals are unique and a great time for tourists and the locals alike. Its a time when the villagers leave behind their back breaking work and gather to have fun and cleanse their sins.
Festivals in Bhutan are characterized by color, gaiety, enthusiasm, prayers and rituals. Foreign travelers are struck by the scale and multiplicity of Bhutanese festivals that have evolved in the society. Fairs and festivals are moments of remembrance and commemoration of the birthdays and great deeds of gods, goddesses, hero, heroines and saints.
Hongtsho, is a small hamlet about 20 km away from Thimphu (capital city). Apples and potatoes are the major cash crop here. This hamlet has a population of about 500 hundred people. They have a small community school, an out reach clinic and few shops.
Every year on the 15th day of the seventh month on the Bhutanese calender a small festival is celebrated here to please the protecting deity of the hamlet. People make offerings in the temple and receive blessings. Mask dances and folk dances are performed by the villagers.
Below are some pictures from the festival
Enjoying their lunch
Young monks witnessing the festival
remembering their yester-years
mask dances
A dilapidated house, people still live in it.
mask dance
festival clown entertaining the crowd
The festival ground.
Festivals in Bhutan are characterized by color, gaiety, enthusiasm, prayers and rituals. Foreign travelers are struck by the scale and multiplicity of Bhutanese festivals that have evolved in the society. Fairs and festivals are moments of remembrance and commemoration of the birthdays and great deeds of gods, goddesses, hero, heroines and saints.
Hongtsho, is a small hamlet about 20 km away from Thimphu (capital city). Apples and potatoes are the major cash crop here. This hamlet has a population of about 500 hundred people. They have a small community school, an out reach clinic and few shops.
Every year on the 15th day of the seventh month on the Bhutanese calender a small festival is celebrated here to please the protecting deity of the hamlet. People make offerings in the temple and receive blessings. Mask dances and folk dances are performed by the villagers.
Below are some pictures from the festival
Enjoying their lunch
Young monks witnessing the festival
remembering their yester-years
mask dances
A dilapidated house, people still live in it.
mask dance
festival clown entertaining the crowd
The festival ground.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Laya, a remote village in Bhutan
Laya is a remote village three days walk from a motor able road. People living here are nomads and rear yaks. During summer these nomads go higher up the mountains looking for good pasture. When the winter sets in and when the ground is covered in snow they move down to low lying areas where they can still feed their yaks.
Laya is a trekkers paradise. The breathtaking views and the enchanting people have left a lasting impression on the minds of the many.
Below are some pictures from Laya
Laya-cherub
weaving hats
high altitude flower
churning milk
Stairway to heaven
The silver meandering river
prayer flags on the mountain to please the dieties.
This must be a heaven
Houses in Laya
A bridge over a small river
Ferrying goods
Laya is a trekkers paradise. The breathtaking views and the enchanting people have left a lasting impression on the minds of the many.
Below are some pictures from Laya
Laya-cherub
weaving hats
high altitude flower
churning milk
Stairway to heaven
The silver meandering river
prayer flags on the mountain to please the dieties.
This must be a heaven
Houses in Laya
A bridge over a small river
Ferrying goods
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Khuru, popular dart game played in Bhutan
Khuru is a favourite traditional game played in Bhutan. Its similar to dart but the size of the dart is bigger than the usual plastic dart with metal tip. "Khurus" are carved out of hard-wood and there is no restriction on the weight or the size to be played. To strengthen it metal-casing is done on the lower end. A "khuru" can weight anything form 150gms to about 300gms.
A team mate cheering his team
A follow through
Traditional folk dance on a hit on the target
This is the way we aim at the target.
The distance between the targets is about 30 meters and the target is almost 11 inches by 5 inches.
More than just the game its the spirit of the game which makes it lively. Teams sing and dance on each strike making the game even more interesting. Cheering and jeering is the part of the game.
There is no age limit or retirement age for any players. As long as one can throw it striaght and at the target one can qualify as a player.
A team mate cheering his team
A follow through
Traditional folk dance on a hit on the target
This is the way we aim at the target.
The distance between the targets is about 30 meters and the target is almost 11 inches by 5 inches.
More than just the game its the spirit of the game which makes it lively. Teams sing and dance on each strike making the game even more interesting. Cheering and jeering is the part of the game.
There is no age limit or retirement age for any players. As long as one can throw it striaght and at the target one can qualify as a player.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Keeping Fit
Pictures from a gym in Bhutan
Checking biceps
Chest exercise
The time between 5 and 8 in the evening is considered to be the "most precious time" of the day according to some people. A hectic day in office is just over and one is out in the open breathing the fresh evening air. Its a time when most of my friends with a racket slung over their shoulders are busy rushing to a lawn tennis court or busy giving their best golf-shot.
I did the same till few years back. I either played soccer or indoor basketball. It was fun to play soccer early morning every Sunday with different teams. It was a good way to start a Sunday.
Now I go to gym thrice a week. Its a small gym with basic work-out equipments. We don't have a trainer and depend on what we read from books and information we get on the internet. In a way its fun to spend two hours here helping each other and talking about muscle and protein and fibers. We never realise until we start working out that we can actually become stronger every day. Our physical strength lies in our ability to strengthen it further.
I started initially with small weights, today i lift over 75kgs with my hands. I plan to lift more in future. My aim is not to compete in a body building competition but to stay fit and strong.
Checking biceps
Chest exercise
The time between 5 and 8 in the evening is considered to be the "most precious time" of the day according to some people. A hectic day in office is just over and one is out in the open breathing the fresh evening air. Its a time when most of my friends with a racket slung over their shoulders are busy rushing to a lawn tennis court or busy giving their best golf-shot.
I did the same till few years back. I either played soccer or indoor basketball. It was fun to play soccer early morning every Sunday with different teams. It was a good way to start a Sunday.
Now I go to gym thrice a week. Its a small gym with basic work-out equipments. We don't have a trainer and depend on what we read from books and information we get on the internet. In a way its fun to spend two hours here helping each other and talking about muscle and protein and fibers. We never realise until we start working out that we can actually become stronger every day. Our physical strength lies in our ability to strengthen it further.
I started initially with small weights, today i lift over 75kgs with my hands. I plan to lift more in future. My aim is not to compete in a body building competition but to stay fit and strong.
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