Symbols Of Bhutan

The double vajra, the Raven Crown, the eight auspicious symbols and what the dragon actually means.

Bhutan's symbols are unusually consistent, and most of them are Vajrayana symbols that happen to double as national ones. The distinction matters: when you see the double vajra on a passport and on a doorframe, it is doing the same job in both places. <h2>The Thunder Dragon</h2> Druk means thunder dragon, and the dragon is the emblem of the state. Druk Yul — the Land of the Thunder Dragon — refers to the Druk Gyalpo, the Dragon King of the pre-feudal era, the legendary ruler whose palace was said to be in the clouds, and whose roar is thunder. In the national flag, the dragon's jewels represent the wealth of the nation and the purity of its people. <h2>The national flag</h2> Two colours: orange, symbolising the authority of spiritual tradition and Buddhism, and yellow, symbolising the authority of the secular state and the monarchy, which historically is the colour of the royal robes. The diagonal division is deliberate. The flag has been in use since the coronation of the Third King in 1956. <h2>The Raven Crown</h2> Perhaps the most distinctive symbol Bhutan possesses. At each royal coronation the new King appears wearing the Black Crown of Wangchuck, a headdress of raven feathers.