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The South
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Cover Story
Tech Stories 2011 Adventure &
Sports
Environment
Vishnu - Hinduism's
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Royal Wedding in Bhutan
The fairy–tale wedding of King Jigme Khesar Namgyal
Wangchuck of Bhutan – the fifth Druk Gyalpo (‘Dragon King’) to Jetsun Pema,
captivated this beautiful Himalayan kingdom since the time the engagement
was first announced in May 2011. The 31-year-old Oxford-educated king, known
for his reformist views, married the 21-year-old Jetsun Pema, the daughter
of an airline pilot, in a 17th century monastery in the old capital of
Punakha, where thousands of people from surrounding villages had gathered to
wish the king and the newly-crowned queen on their special day. This was the
first royal wedding since the fourth king’s marriage in 1988 – an entire
nation was looking forward to this much-awaited celebration. The Bhutan Royal Wedding, was not a star-studded
affair like the year's other royal wedding - of William and Kate- but it was
just as, if not more, elaborate and colourful. There were no heads-of
–states, no foreign royalty, and no global celebrities at the wedding.
"The whole theme of the wedding was
to keep it a simple family affair, that is
-
the Bhutanese family," said a government official. The rest of the country's
700,000 people watched the wedding live on TV. The three-day celebrations began on the early
morning of Thursday, October 13 at an auspicious time determined by royal
astrologers. Chants, drums, trumpets, red-robed priests, and flag-bearers
set the scene, as the king, wearing the royal yellow sash over a golden robe
with red flowers, walked into the courtyard of the ancient fortress and
climbed the steps that led to the monastery. A few minutes later, the bride
arrived, wearing the traditional wraparound skirt with a gold jacket, and
followed him inside. During the hours of ceremonies inside the monastery,
the wedding rituals began with a purification ceremony for the couple and
concluded with the king placing a smaller crown on his bride, after which
she took her place as the new queen, and sat beside him. The following day the royal couple returned to the
capital Thimphu. Thousands of people had lined the entire route from
Punakha, to catch a glimpse of their King and Queen. The young couple got
out of their vehicle many a times to greet the people and the three-hour
drive to Thimpu
turned into a
thirteen-hour journey !
The royal wedding festivities drew to a close on
Saturday in a grand party in Thimphu. The new queen’s gorgeous traditional
dresses, worn over the three days of celebration, were stunning and so very
elegant. The immensely popular King Jigme Khesar Namgyel
Wangchuck has ushered in development reforms in this deeply traditional
nation. Bhutan is considered one of the happiest countries in the world. The
concept of "gross national happiness" was introduced by the King’s father –
the fourth Druk Gyalpo.
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