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BHUTAN
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BHUTAN , an See also:independent See also:kingdom in the Eastern Himalayas, lying between the See also:Brahmaputra and the See also:southern See also:face of the mountains. It is under various commercial and other arrangements with the See also:government of See also:India, from whom it receives an See also:annual See also:subsidy of £3333. It is bounded on the N. by See also:Tibet; on the E. by a See also:tract inhabited by various uncivilized independent See also:mountain tribes; on the S. by the See also:British See also:province of See also:Assam, and the See also:district of See also:Jalpaiguri; and on the W. by the independent native See also:state of See also:Sikkim. The whole of Bhutan presents a See also:succession of lofty and rugged mountains abounding in picturesque and See also:sublime scenery. This alpine region sends out numerous See also:rivers in a southerly direction, which, forcing their passage through narrow defiles, and precipitated in cataracts over the precipices, eventually pour themselves into the Brahmaputra. Of the rivers traversing Bhutan, the most considerable is the Manas, flowing in its progress to the Brahmaputra under the walls of Tasgaon, below which it is unfordable. At the See also:foot of Tasgaon See also: N." and " P. A." traversed a See also:part of Western Bhutan, but were forced to retire owing to the disturbed state of the districts. They re-entered the country on the See also:east from Dewangiri. Here they explored the Kuru, or Lhobrak Chu, which proves to be the largest See also:river in Bhutan. It drains the tract between the Yamdok Tso and Tigu Lakes, and is fed by the glaciers of the Kulha Kangri and other See also:great ranges. The Lhobrak was finally identified with the Manas river, a geographical See also:discovery of some importance. A previously unknown tribe, the Chingmis, were discovered in Eastern Bhutan, who are socially on a higher level than the Bhutias, and differ from them chiefly in the See also:matter of wearing pigtails. Some excellent survey See also:work was done in Bhutan by a native surveyor during the progress of the Tibetan Expedition in 1904. The Monla Kachung pass (17,500 ft.), by which " R. N." crossed into Tibet, is nearly on the See also:meridian of Gualpara, and is one of the most important passes between Bhutan and Tibet. East of Bhutan, amongst the semi-independent hill states which sometimes own See also:allegiance to Tibet and sometimes assert See also:complete freedom from all authority, the geographical See also:puzzle of the course of the Tsanpo, the great river of Tibet, has been solved by the researches of Captain Harman, and the explorations of the native surveyor " K. P." The Tsanpo has been definitely ascertained to be the same river as the Brahmaputra. The tracts inhabited by the aboriginal tribes entitled Lo Nakpo, Lo Karpo and Lo Tawa (" Lo " signifies " barbarous " in Tibetan), are described as a pleasant country; the lands on either See also:side of the Tsanpo being well cultivated and planted with mangoes, plantains and oranges. Nothing is known certainly about the See also:area and See also:population of Bhutan, the former being estimated at 16,800 sq. m. At the See also:head of the Bhutan government there are nominally two supreme authorities, the Dharm raja, the spiritual head, and the Deb raja, the temporal ruler. Recently See also:official See also:correspondence has been written in the name of the Dharm raja, but it is not known whether this See also:change really signifies anything. To aid these rajas in administering the country, there is a See also:council of permanent ministers, called the Lenehen. Practically, how-ever, there is no government at all. Subordinate See also:officers and rapacious See also:governors of forts wield all the See also:power of the state, and tyranny, oppression and anarchy reign over the whole country. The Dharm raja succeeds as an incarnation of the deity. On the See also:death of a Dharm raja a See also:year or two elapses, and the new incarnation then reappears in the shape of a See also:child who generally happens to be See also:born in the See also:family of a principal officer. The child establishes his identity by recognizing the cooking utensils, &c., of the See also:late Dharm raja; he is then trained in a monastery, and on attaining his See also:majority is recognized as raja, though he exercises no more real authority in his majority than he did in his See also:infancy. The Deb raja is in theory elected by the council. In practice he is merely the nominee of whichever of the two governors of East and See also:West Bhutan happens for the See also:time to be the more powerful. The See also:people are industrious, and devote themselves to See also:agriculture, but from the See also:geological structure of the country, and from the insecurity of See also:property, See also:regular husbandry is limited to comparatively few spots. The people are oppressed and poor. " Nothing that a Bhutia possesses is his own," wrote the British See also:envoy in 1864; " he is at all times liable to lose it if it attracts the cupidity of any one more powerful than himself. The See also:lower classes, whether villagers or public servants, are little better than the slaves of higher officials. In regard to them no rights of property are observed, and they have at once to surrender anything that is demanded of them. There never was, I See also:fancy, a country in which the See also:doctrine of `might is right' formed more completely the whole and See also:sole See also:law and See also:custom of the See also:land than it does in Bhutan. No official receives a See also:salary; he has certain districts made over to him, and he may get what he can out of them; a certain portion of his gains he is compelled to send to the See also:durbar; and the more he extorts and the more he sends to his See also:superior, the longer his See also:tenure of See also:office is likely to be."847 Physically the Bhutias are a See also:fine See also:race, although dirty in their habits and persons. Their See also:food consists of See also:meat, chiefly pork, turnips, See also:rice, See also:barley-See also:meal and See also:tea made from the See also:brick-tea of See also:China. Their favourite drink is thong, distilled from rice or barley and See also:millet, and Marwd, See also:beer made from fermented millet. A loose woollen coat reaching to the knees, and See also:bound See also:round the See also:waist by a thick See also:fold of See also:cotton See also:cloth, forms the See also:dress of the men; the See also:women's dress is a See also:long cloak with loose sleeves. The houses of the Bhutias are of three and four storeys; all the floors are neatly boarded with See also:deal; and on two sides of the See also:house is a See also:verandah ornamented with carved work generally painted. The Bhutias are neat joiners, and their doors, windows and panelling are perfect in their way. No See also:iron-work is used; the doors open on ingenious wooden hinges. The See also:appearance of the houses is precisely that of Swiss chalets, picturesque and comfortable—the only See also:drawback being a want of chimneys, which the Bhutias do not know how to construct. The people nominally profess the Buddhist See also:religion, but in reality their religious exercises are confined to the propitiation of evil See also:spirits, and the See also:mechanical See also:recital of a few sacred sentences. Around the cottages in the mountains the land is cleared for cultivation, and produces thriving crops of barley, See also:wheat, See also:buckwheat, millet, See also:mustard, chillies, etc. Turnips of excellent quality are extensively grown; they are See also:free from fibre and remarkably sweet. The wheat and barley have a full round See also:grain, and the See also:climate is well adapted to the See also:production of both See also:European and See also:Asiatic vegetables. Potatoes have been introduced. The Bhutias See also:lay out their See also:fields in a See also:series of terraces cut out of the sides of the hills; each See also:terrace is riveted and supported by See also: Among them are the See also:beech, ash, See also:birch, See also:maple, See also:cypress and See also:yew. Firs and pines See also:cover the mountain heights; and below these, but still at an See also:elevation of eight or nine thousand feet, is a See also:zone of vegetation, consisting principally of oaks and rhododendrons. The See also:cinnamon See also:tree is also found. Some of the roots and branches were examined by Captain See also:Samuel See also:Turner during his See also:journey to Tibet; but the plant being neither in blossom nor bearing See also:fruit, it was impossible to decide whether it was the true cinnamon or an inferior See also:kind of See also:cassia. The See also:leaf, how-ever, corresponded with the description given of the true cinnamon by See also:Linnaeus. The lower ranges of the hills abound in See also:animal See also:life. Elephants are so numerous as to be dangerous to travellers; but tigers are not See also:common, except near the river See also:Tista, and in the dense See also:reed See also:jungle and forests of the See also:Dwars. Leopards abound in the Hah valley; See also:deer every-where, some of them of a very large See also:species. The See also:musk deer is found in the snows, and the See also:barking deer on every hill side. See also:Wild hogs are met with even at great elevations. Large squirrels are common. Bears and See also:rhinoceros are also found. Pheasants, jungle fowls, pigeons and other small See also:game abound. The Bhutias are no sportsmen. They have a superstitious objection to firing a See also:gun, thinking that it offends the deities of the See also:woods and valleys, and brings down See also:rain. A species of See also:horse, which seems indigenous to Bhutan, and is used as a domestic animal, is called tdngan, from Tangastan, the See also:general appellation of that assemblage of mountains which constitutes the territory of Bhutan. It is See also:peculiar to this tract, not being found in any of the neighbouring countries of Assam, See also:Nepal, Tibet or See also:Bengal, and unites in an eminent degree the two qualities of strength and beauty. The tdngan horse usually stands about thirteen hands high, is See also:short-bodied, clean-limbed, deep in the See also:chest and extremely active, his See also:colour usually inclining to piebald. In so barren and See also:rude a country the manufacturing See also:industry of its people is, as might be expected, in a See also:low See also:stage, the few articles produced being all destined for See also:home See also:consumption. These consist of coarse blankets and cotton cloths made by the villagers inhabiting the southern tract. See also:Leather, from the hide of the See also:buffalo, imperfectly tanned, furnishes the soles of See also:snow boots. Circular See also:bowls are neatly turned from various woods. A small quantity of See also:paper is made from a plant described as the See also:Daphne papyrifera. Swords, iron spears and arrow-heads, and a few See also:copper caldrons, fabricated from the See also:metal obtained in the country, complete the See also:list of manufactures. See also:Trade connections are rather with Tibet than with India. In 1901-1902 the value of the import and export trade with British India amounted only to £57,000. The military resources of the country are on an insignificant See also:scale. Beyond the See also:guards for the See also:defence of the various castles, there is nothing like a See also:standing See also:army. The See also:total military force was estimated by the British envoy in 1864 at 6000. The climate of Bhutan varies according to the difference of elevation. At the time when the inhabitants of Punakha (the See also:winter See also:residence of the rajas) are afraid of exposing themselves to the blazing See also:sun, those of Ghasa experience all the rigour of winter, and are chilled by perpetual snows. Yet these places are within sight of each other. The rains descend in floods upon the heights; but in the vicinity of Tasisudon, the See also:capital, they are moderate; there are frequent showers, but nothing that can be compared to the tropical rains of Bengal. Owing to the great elevation and steepness of the mountains, dreadful storms arise among the hollows, often attended with fatal results. See also:History.—Bhutan formerly belonged to a tribe called by the Bhutias Tephu, generally believed to have been the people of Kuch See also:Behar. About A.D. 1670 some Tibetan soldiers subjugated the Tephus, took See also:possession of the country and settled down in it. The relations of the British with Bhutan commenced in 1772, when the Bhutias invaded the principality of Kuch Behar, a dependency of Bengal. The Kuch Behar Raja applied for aid, and a force under Captain See also: But his negotiations yielded no definite result; and every other means of obtaining redress and See also:security proving unsuccessful, the Assam Dwars were wrested from the Bhutias, and the British government consented to pay to Bhutan a sum of £1000 per annum as See also:compensation for the resumption of their tenure, during the See also:good behaviour of the Bhutias. Continued outrages and aggressions were, however, committed by the Bhutias on British subjects in the Dwars. Nothwithstanding repeated remonstrances and threats, scarcely a year passed without the occurrence of several raids in British territory headed by Bhutia officials, in which they plundered the inhabitants, massacred them, or carried them away as slaves. In 1863 Sir Ashley Eden was sent as an envoy to Bhutan to demand reparation for these outrages. He did not succeed in his mission; he was subjected to the grossest insults; and under compulsion signed a treaty giving over the disputed territory to Bhutan, and making other concessions which the Bhutan government demanded. On Sir A. Eden's return the See also:viceroy at once disavowed his treaty, sternly stopped the former See also:allowance for the Assam Dwars, and demanded the immediate restoration of all British subjects kidnapped during the last five years. The Bhutias not complying with this demand, the See also:governor-generalissued a See also:proclamation, dated the 12th of See also:November 1864, by which the eleven Western or Bengal Dwars were forthwith incorporated with the See also:queen's Indian dominions. No resistance was at first offered to the See also:annexation; but, suddenly, in See also:January 1865, the Bhutias surprised the See also:English See also:garrison at Dewangiri, and the See also:post was abandoned with the loss of two mountain guns. This disaster was soon retrieved by General Sir See also: Since that time the annexed territories have settled down into peaceful and prosperous British districts. The See also:recent relations between the Indian government and Bhutan have been satisfactory; and during the troubles with Tibet in 1904 the attitude of the Bhutias was perfectly correct and friendly. See See also:Report on Explorations in Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet (See also:Deva Dun, 1889) ; See also:Tanner, " Our present Knowledge of the Himalayas," R.G.S. Proceedings, vol. xiii. (T. H. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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