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→First national flag: clarify which photos are meant. Also, Kuensel is not an independent source, though it does provide a photo of the throne flag
→First national flag: I am trying to rely less on linking to the CBS document, though this website does mention the document.
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The historical development of the flag is described in a document issued by the [[Centre for Bhutan Studies]] in 2002.<ref name="bhutanstudies">{{cite book|last=Penjore|first=Dorji|coauthors=Kinga, Sonam|date=November 2002|title=The Origin and Description of The National Flag and National Anthem of The Kingdom of Bhutan|isbn=9993614017|publisher=[[Centre for Bhutan Studies|The Centre for Bhutan Studies]]|location=[[Thimphu]]|pages=1–43|url=http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/savifadok/volltexte/2009/314/pdf/NationalFlag.pdf}} [http://www.webcitation.org/5kWchqEnz Archived] at [[WebCite]]</ref> The document ("the CBS document") states that the first national flag was designed under the guidance of the second [[Druk Gyalpo]], [[Jigme Wangchuk]] and introduced in 1949 during the signing of the [[Bhutan–India relations|Indo-Bhutan Treaty]]. Black and white photos survive showing this flag at the ceremony,<ref>[http://ngmaindia.gov.in/images/showcase/bhutan/pic3-big.jpg One photo] is displayed in the exhibition [http://www.ngmaindia.gov.in/upe_bhutan.asp "Bhutan: An Eye to History"] at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8486717.stm BBC coverage] of this exhibition supplies the following caption for this photo: "The India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 1949 is the basis of close ties between Bhutan and India. It was signed at government house in Darjeeling in 1949. (Image: Queen Grandmother of Bhutan)."</ref><ref>[http://www.bhutan2008.bt/files/images/indo-bhutantreaty.jpg A second photo] is displayed at [http://www.bhutan2008.bt/en/node/61 Bhutan 2008], on a page discussing the 1949 treaty.</ref> and the colours may be inferred from the CBS document.
The historical development of the flag is described in a document issued by the [[Centre for Bhutan Studies]] in 2002.<ref name="bhutanstudies">{{cite book|last=Penjore|first=Dorji|coauthors=Kinga, Sonam|date=November 2002|title=The Origin and Description of The National Flag and National Anthem of The Kingdom of Bhutan|isbn=9993614017|publisher=[[Centre for Bhutan Studies|The Centre for Bhutan Studies]]|location=[[Thimphu]]|pages=1–43|url=http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/savifadok/volltexte/2009/314/pdf/NationalFlag.pdf}} [http://www.webcitation.org/5kWchqEnz Archived] at [[WebCite]]</ref> The document ("the CBS document") states that the first national flag was designed under the guidance of the second [[Druk Gyalpo]], [[Jigme Wangchuk]] and introduced in 1949 during the signing of the [[Bhutan–India relations|Indo-Bhutan Treaty]]. Black and white photos survive showing this flag at the ceremony,<ref>[http://ngmaindia.gov.in/images/showcase/bhutan/pic3-big.jpg One photo] is displayed in the exhibition [http://www.ngmaindia.gov.in/upe_bhutan.asp "Bhutan: An Eye to History"] at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8486717.stm BBC coverage] of this exhibition supplies the following caption for this photo: "The India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 1949 is the basis of close ties between Bhutan and India. It was signed at government house in Darjeeling in 1949. (Image: Queen Grandmother of Bhutan)."</ref><ref>[http://www.bhutan2008.bt/files/images/indo-bhutantreaty.jpg A second photo] is displayed at [http://www.bhutan2008.bt/en/node/61 Bhutan 2008], on a page discussing the 1949 treaty.</ref> and the colours may be inferred from the CBS document.


The flag was embroidered by Lharip Taw Taw who was one of the few painters available to the [[royal court]] at the time. Druk was painted green in accordance with traditional and religious references to ''yu druk ngonm'' ({{lang-dz|གཡུ་ རབྲུག་ སྡོནམ}}), or ''turquoise dragon''.<ref name="bhutanstudies"/> The first flag was used only for the occasion of the signing of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty, and a modern reproduction of the flag (with several changes influenced by the modern flag) is displayed behind the throne in the [[National Assembly Hall]] in [[Thimphu]].<ref name="bhutanstudies"/><ref name='kuensel'> {{cite web | url = http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1883 | title = First national flag designed in 1949 | accessdate = 2010-10-10 | last = Gyeltshen | first = Tshering | date = 2002 | work = Kuensel Online | publisher = Kuensel Corporation}}</ref>
The flag was embroidered by Lharip Taw Taw who was one of the few painters available to the [[royal court]] at the time. Druk was painted green in accordance with traditional and religious references to ''yu druk ngonm'' ({{lang-dz|གཡུ་ རབྲུག་ སྡོནམ}}), or ''turquoise dragon''.<ref name="bhutanstudies"/> The first flag was used only for the occasion of the signing of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty, and a modern reproduction of the flag (with several changes influenced by the modern flag) is displayed behind the throne in the [[National Assembly Hall]] in [[Thimphu]].<ref name='kuensel'> {{cite web | url = http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1883 | title = First national flag designed in 1949 | accessdate = 2010-10-10 | last = Gyeltshen | first = Tshering | date = 2002 | work = Kuensel Online | publisher = Kuensel Corporation}}</ref>


As described in the document, the flag was a bicolour square flag divided diagonally from the lower hoist to the upper fly. The field of yellow extended from the hoist to the upper fly, and the red field extended from the fly end to the lower hoist. In the centre of the flag, at the convergence of the yellow and red fields, is a green Druk, located parallel to the bottom edge, and facing the fly.<ref name="bhutanstudies"/>
As described in the document, the flag was a bicolour square flag divided diagonally from the lower hoist to the upper fly. The field of yellow extended from the hoist to the upper fly, and the red field extended from the fly end to the lower hoist. In the centre of the flag, at the convergence of the yellow and red fields, is a green Druk, located parallel to the bottom edge, and facing the fly.<ref name="bhutanstudies"/>

Revision as of 05:57, 11 October 2010

Kingdom of Bhutan
UseNational flag
Proportion2:3
DesignDivided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side[1]

The national flag of Bhutan is one of the national symbols of the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. The flag is based upon the tradition of the Drukpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and features Druk, the Thunder Dragon of Bhutanese mythology. The first national flag was introduced in 1949 and used only for the signing of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty. A second incarnation of the national flag was introduced in 1956 for the visit of Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuk to eastern Bhutan. The 1956 flag was described as based upon photos of the 1949 flag, with Druk being changed from green to white. According to the Bhutanese Government, the design of the national flag is credited to Mayum Choying Wangmo Dorji.[2]

Realizing that the flag did not flutter like the Indian flag, the Bhutanese redesigned their flag to match the measurements of the Indian flag. Other changes led to the current national flag, most recently the change of the dark red background to orange. The National Assembly of Bhutan codified a code of conduct in 1972, which governs the design of the flag and establishes rules regarding acceptable sizes and conditions for flying the flag.

Background

Historically Bhutan is known by numerous names, but the Bhutanese call the country Druk from a tradition dating to 1189. Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje, founder of the Drukpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, was in Phoankar, Tibet, when he saw the Namgyiphu valley covered with rainbow and light. Considering the site auspicious for the construction of a monastery, he entered the valley to choose a site—whereupon a dragon thundered three times in the clear winter sky. The monastery Tsangpa Gyare built in 1189 was named Druk Sewa Jangchubling, and his school of teaching became known as Druk.[3] This school later split into three lineages,[3] one of which, Drukpa, was founded by Tsangpa Gyare's nephew and spiritual heir, Önrey Dharma Sengye, then spread all across Bhutan. [4] The nation would later become known as Druk, and the symbolism of the dragon formed the basis of the national flag of Bhutan.[5] Another legend states that the dragon was introduced from China and was soon adopted by the rulers of Bhutan as a symbol of royalty.[6]

Historical flags

First national flag

First known flag of Bhutan, used in 1949 at the signing of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty, after black and white photos of the event, with colours supplied from later documentation.

The historical development of the flag is described in a document issued by the Centre for Bhutan Studies in 2002.[7] The document ("the CBS document") states that the first national flag was designed under the guidance of the second Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Wangchuk and introduced in 1949 during the signing of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty. Black and white photos survive showing this flag at the ceremony,[8][9] and the colours may be inferred from the CBS document.

The flag was embroidered by Lharip Taw Taw who was one of the few painters available to the royal court at the time. Druk was painted green in accordance with traditional and religious references to yu druk ngonm (Template:Lang-dz), or turquoise dragon.[7] The first flag was used only for the occasion of the signing of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty, and a modern reproduction of the flag (with several changes influenced by the modern flag) is displayed behind the throne in the National Assembly Hall in Thimphu.[10]

As described in the document, the flag was a bicolour square flag divided diagonally from the lower hoist to the upper fly. The field of yellow extended from the hoist to the upper fly, and the red field extended from the fly end to the lower hoist. In the centre of the flag, at the convergence of the yellow and red fields, is a green Druk, located parallel to the bottom edge, and facing the fly.[7]

The CBS document does not contain photographs of the first versions of the flag, and its description of the 1949 flag is not entirely consistent with the photos surviving from 1949. It describes the flag as "square", while the flag in the photographs has proportions closer to 4:5; with a dragon "facing the fly end", while the dragon visible in the photos faces the hoist. The dragon is described as "parallel to the fly" (meaning, according to a diagram in the document, parallel to the length along the bottom edge of the flag), while the dragon in the photos appears to have a slightly rising vertical slant. The dragon is described as "green", but the shade in the photos, if indeed green, must be very pale.[11]

Western flag books until after 1970 generally show the Bhutanese flag closely resembling the 1949 photos.[12][13][14][15]

1956 flag

The second incarnation of the national flag came in 1956 during the visit of the third Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuk to eastern Bhutan. Members of the Druk Gyalpo's Secretariat began to use flags of a new design during the trip. The flag was based upon a photograph of the first national flag as it was used in 1949, with the colour of the dragon changed from green to white. The retinue of the Druk Gyalpo included a convoy consisting of over one hundred ponies. A small version of the flag was placed on the saddle of every tenth pony, and a large flag approximately 6 square feet (0.56 m2) in size was flown in the camp, hoisted to the sound of a bugle. Dasho Shingkhar Lam, who was Secretary to the Druk Gyalpo, noted that on the first day of the trip, His Majesty's entourage only managed to make the trip from Dechenchholing to Simtokha.[7]

According to a manuscript found in the archives of the Druk Gyalpo's Secretariat, the creation of a national flag was deemed to be necessary, as every country has a national flag which is used to symbolise the identity of that country. The manuscript noted that the flag is half yellow and half red, with the yellow spreading from the summit to the base, whilst the red spreads from the base and forms the "fluttering" end.[7]

The Druk Gyalpo is deemed to be the summit and root of the Drupka Kagyu of Palden Drukpa. As the Druk Gyalpo wears a yellow robe, the yellow symbolises the Druk Gyalpo. The red on the flag signifies that the Kingdom of Kagyud Palden Drukpa is governed from the feet of the Druk Gyalpo and is consistent with the dual monastic and civil systems of the country. This implies that the borders of the country and its centre are consistent with the Dharma. Druk spreads equally over both the red and yellow fields of the flag, signifying that the people are united in speech and mind in defending the interests of the Kingdom. The dragon signifies that in the eyes of the Palden Drukpa, "there is no discrimination against people of any disposition, and that they are being governed towards peace and prosperity".[7]

Changes after 1956

In the late 1950s the Bhutanese noticed that the square Bhutanese flag did not flutter like the rectangular Indian flag[16] displayed on the visit of an Indian official to the country. The Bhutanese flag was hence at some point redesigned on the measurements of the Indian flag.[7]

In another change, the dragon, which had formerly been positioned horizontally on the flag, was moved to the diagonal along the line between the background colours. This change sought to avoid having the dragon "face the earth" when the flag was hanging limp.[7]

In 1968 or 1969 the king ordered the colour of the lower half changed from red to orange.[7]

The Bhutanese flag was flown abroad beside another national flag for the first time in 1961 during a state visit to India by Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. This visit inaugurated a new level of relations between the two countries.[17]

Current national flag

The Bhutanese flag hanging outside the Bhutanese Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City.

The current flag is divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner, with the upper triangle yellow and the lower triangle orange. Centred along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side.[1] According to The Legal Provisions of the National Flag of the Kingdom of Palden Drukpa as Endorsed in Resolution 28 of the 36th Session of the National Assembly held on June 8, 1972, the yellow signifies civil tradition, and embodies the Druk Gyalpo's being; this signifies the basis of monastic and civil traditions. The orange half, which forms the fluttering end of the flag, signifies the monastic traditions of Buddha's teachings, and the traditions of Kagyu and Nyingma flourishing in harmony. Druk, which spreads equally over the line, signifies the Kingdom of Druk having both civic and monastic traditions. The white color of Druk signifies that though there are many different peoples in Bhutan, their inner thoughts and deeds are pure, and they cherish patriotism. This denotes that the sacred bond between sovereign and people is strong.[18] The dragon is holding a norbu, or jewel, in each of its claws[1] representing the wealth and protection of Bhutan.[2] The snarling mouth of the dragon represents the male and female deities that will defend Bhutan with all of their strength and might.[19]

The National Assembly stipulates that the ratio of the dimensions of the flag should be 3:2,[18] with these accepted sizes:

  • 21 ft × 14 ft (6.4 m × 4.3 m)
  • 12 ft × 8 ft (3.7 m × 2.4 m)
  • 6 ft × 4 ft (1.8 m × 1.2 m)
  • 3 ft × 2 ft (0.9 m × 0.6 m)
  • 9 in × 6 in (23 cm × 15 cm), for car flags.[7]

A 1994 specification guide from the British Flag Institute gives the approximate proportions of the dragon on the flag as 24:13 for a flag of proportions 30:20. The colours of the flag are defined in the same guide as Pantone 116 for yellow and Pantone 165 for orange.[20]

Code of conduct

The flag of Bhutan figures on the livery of the national airline Druk Air.

The code of conduct governing usage of the national flag was passed by the National Assembly of Bhutan on 8 June 1972, and the Assembly approved the National Flag Rules drafted by the Cabinet. The Rules have eight provisions covering the description and symbolism of the flag's colouring, fields and design elements. Other rules cover the size of the flag and codes dealing with flying the flag. The Rules specify appropriate places and occasions for the hoisting of the flag, and specifies who may display the flag on cars.[18] The tradition of flying the national flag in front of government offices was regularised by the Druk Gyalpo after his Secretariat was moved from Taba to Tashichho Dzong in 1968.[10] The 1972 rules also state that each dzongkhag will fly the national flag; if no dzongkhag is present, the building of the head government officer will fly the flag. Officials above the rank of minister are also allowed to hoist the flag at their residence provided they do not live near the capital.[18]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of Bhutan.
  1. ^ a b c "National Flag". National Portal of Bhutan. 2004. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
  2. ^ a b "National Symbols". Department of Information Technology. 2008. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
  3. ^ a b Crins, Rieki (2009). Meeting the "Other": Living in the Present: Gender and Sustainability in Bhutan. Eburon Publishers. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-9059722613. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  4. ^ Von Gersdorff, Ralph (1997). Bhutan: Mountain Fortress of the Gods. Serindia Publications. p. 184. ISBN 978-0906026441. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  5. ^ Dubgyur, Lungten. "The Royal Court of Justice Crest". Royal Court of Justice, Bhutan. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  6. ^ Bates, Roy (2007). All About Chinese Dragons. p. 102. ISBN 978-1435703223. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Penjore, Dorji (November 2002). The Origin and Description of The National Flag and National Anthem of The Kingdom of Bhutan (PDF). Thimphu: The Centre for Bhutan Studies. pp. 1–43. ISBN 9993614017. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) Archived at WebCite
  8. ^ One photo is displayed in the exhibition "Bhutan: An Eye to History" at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. BBC coverage of this exhibition supplies the following caption for this photo: "The India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 1949 is the basis of close ties between Bhutan and India. It was signed at government house in Darjeeling in 1949. (Image: Queen Grandmother of Bhutan)."
  9. ^ A second photo is displayed at Bhutan 2008, on a page discussing the 1949 treaty.
  10. ^ a b Gyeltshen, Tshering (2002). "First national flag designed in 1949". Kuensel Online. Kuensel Corporation. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  11. ^ Lupant, Michel (2009), "Flags over Bhutan", 23rd International Congress of Vexillology, pp. 4–7 {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help)
  12. ^ I.O. Evans, The Observer's Book of Flags, 1963.
  13. ^ Gordon Campbell and I.O. Evans, The Book of Flags, 1965.
  14. ^ E. M. C. Barraclough, Flags of the World, 1965.
  15. ^ Karl-Heinz Hesmer, Flaggen Wappen Daten, 1975.
  16. ^ "Flag code of India, 2002". Fact Sheet. Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 4 April 2002. Retrieved 11 October 2006.
  17. ^ Warikoo, K. (2008). Himalayan Frontiers of India: Historical, Geo-Political and Strategic Perspectives. Routledge. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-415-46839-8. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
  18. ^ a b c d "The National Flag Rules of Bhutan (1972)" (PDF). 1972. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
  19. ^ "First Schedule - The National Flag and the National Emblem of Bhutan". Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan. 2008. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
  20. ^ Lupant, Michel (2009), "Flags over Bhutan", 23rd International Congress of Vexillology, p. 11 {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help)
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