Religion
Bhutan’s law provides the freedom of religion, so there aren’t so many religious policies. To ensure that Buddhism is continued practised, the first son of every Buddhist family usually goes to a monastic school. The Bhutanese are also very devoutly Buddhist. This provides a universality of values and beliefs that overcome particular ethnic divisions of language and physical features.
The Ngalongs (“NGAR-longs”) is one of the main ethnic groups. It means “first to rise” because they were the first people in Bhutan to accept Buddhism. They are descendants of the ninth-century immigrants from Tibet, where they were attracted to the good farming areas of Bhutan. The Ngalongs consider Thimpu, Paro, Black Mountains and Ha as their homeland. Their language is closely related to Tibetan, with just some pronunciation and grammatical differences. The Sharchops (“SHAR-khops”) means “people of the east”, indicating that they live in eastern and southeastern Bhutan. There, the environment is warmer, so their houses can vary from typical bhutanese houses and bamboo houses. They are known as the original people of Bhutan, but where they came from is unknown. They are also very religious, and the women are known for their weaving skills, they work with silk and cotton. Today, a piece of their work can cost hundreds of dollars in an open international market. The Lhotshampas (“Lhot-SHARM-pahs”) are descendants of immigrants from Nepal who came to Bhutan between 1880 and 1960, they make up about one third of the population. They practice hinduism and speak Nepalese.
Bhutan’s religion has shaped the history and politics of the country because its history dates back to the 6th century, and since then, religion was very strong when introduced in the 7th century. The religion that mostly shaped the history and politics of Bhutan is Buddhism, because when Guru Rimpochey (also known as Padma Sambhava) visited in 747 A.D., Buddhism took ground in Bhutan, making it a very religious-politic country, but now there is a law where you can have freedom of religion.
