Bhutan

Bhutan is a small kingdom on the southern side of the Himalayas between India and Tibet. The country became Buddhist slowly from the 13th century onwards due to influence from Tibet. For much of its history the country was ruled by monks but since the beginning of the 20th century it has been a monarchy. The country’s king is one of only two Buddhist monarchs left in the world. Bhutan is dotted with numerous monasteries housing large numbers of monks and they have considerable influence in the governing of the country. Today nearly all Bhutanese are Vajrayana Buddhists.