BHUTAN | GAVIN GOUGH

Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon, set high in the remote Himalayas, remains a land of mystery and intrigue. Rarely visited by western travellers, Bhutan maintains a society where "gross national happiness" is the measure of success. Each year, festivals (tsechus) steeped in tradition take place in Bhutan's temples where monks wear animal masks and dance, whirling around the temple courtyards in a ritual as old as the surrounding mountains. Bhutan is one of few remaining places on earth where the visitor can truly feel that they have stepped back in time.

A masked dancer at the Tamshing Monastery Tsechu festival, Bhutan

A masked dancer at the Tamshing Monastery Tsechu festival, Bhutan

Tamshing Goemba, Jakar, Bhutan

Tamshing Goemba, Jakar, Bhutan

A Buddhist monk at Dechen Phodrang, Thimphu, Bhutan

A man holding a prayer wheel at the Memorial Chorten, Thimphu, Bhutan

Ura, Ura Valley, Bhutan

 Dancing at the Wangdu Phodrang Dzong Tsechu festival, Bhutan

Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan

Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan

Taktshang Goemba (Dragon's Nest), Paro, Bhutan

Buddhist monks preparing to participate in the Tamshing Monastery Tsechu festival, Bhutan

A monk walking past a series of prayer wheels at Paro Rinpung Dzong, Paro, Bhutan

A novice Buddhist monk leans out of a classroom window at Wangdichholing Dzong, Jakar, Bhutan

A Buddhist monk sitting in the dressing room beneath traditional masks at the Thangbi Goemba tsechu festival, Chokhor valley, Bhutan

A boy enjoying an elevated spectating position at the Wangdu Phodrang Dzong Tsechu festival, Bhutan

Jakar Town, Jakar, Bhutan

A Buddhist woman holding prayer beads at Gangte Goemba, Bhutan

A young boy shows off yoga skills at the Zangto Pelri Lhakhang Monastery in Thimphu, Bhutan

Preparing a meal for the monks in the kitchen of Tamshing Goemba monastery, Jakar, Bhutan

A Buddhist man inside the temple at Tamshing Goemba, Jakar, Bhutan

Wangdue Phodrang, Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan

Prayer flags across the ravine at Taktshang Goemba Tiger's Nest Monastery in Bhutan

Taktshang Goemba Tiger's Nest Monastery in Bhutan

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