Bhutan Language & Religion
Language : The official language of Bhutan is ‘Dzongkha’. It is widely spoken in the kingdom. Nepali is also a major language widely spoken by the people of southern Bhutan who are of Nepalese origin. Tsangla or Sharchopkha is another major dialect spoken by the people from eastern Bhutan. There are also many local dialects used in many regions of Bhutan.
Drukpas are composed of three main ethnic groups, that is: Ngalops, Sharshops and Lhotsampas. Ngalops the first group originally from Tibet who are the followers of Buddhism and settled mostly in the western & central Bhutan. Sharshops, the second group who immigrated from northern Burma & northeast India and settled in eastern Bhutan. Lhotsampas are the third group migrated to Bhutan from Nepal in the early 20th century for agricultural land and work. They live predominantly in the southern plains.
Religion : Bhutan has two main religions, Buddhism and Hinduism. Bhutan is the only country in the world to have maintained the Tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism as its official religion. In the south, the people follow their own religion ‘Hinduism’.
The freedom regarding different religious believes is accepted at a certain level. People can hold and practice their own religion in which they believe. However, the government does not permit public expression of other faiths & doctrines. There might be social pressure against the expression of external faiths.
