Glossary

Chu: River, Water
Chorten: Stupa (Buddhist monument)
Druk: Dragon
Druk Yul: Land of Dragon, the Dzongkha name for Bhutan
Drukpa Kagyupa: Official religious school of Bhutan
Dzong: Fortress-cum-Monastery
Dzongkha: National language of Bhutan
Gompa: Monastery
Guru Rinpoche: Tantric saint who converted Bhutan to Buddhism in the 8th century, also called Guru Padmasambhava
Je Khenpo: Chief Abbot of Bhutan
La: Mountain pass
Lama: Religious master
Lhakhang: Temple
Nyingmapa: Important religious school in central and eastern Bhutan founded by Guru Rinpoche in the 8th century
Shabdrung: Title given to the reincarnation lineage of the spiritual leaders of Bhutan
Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal: Religious and temporal ruler of Bhutan (1594-1651) who unified the country under Drukpa Kagyupa authority and established an administrative and judicial system
Thangkha: Religious banner, painted or embroidered
Tsechu: Religious festival held in honor of Guru Rinpoche
Thongdroel: Large religious banner that brings liberation by sight

glossary