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Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse by Lhuntse from

10 Most Famous People from Bhutan

Did you know that Bhutan is the only nation in the world to measure its progress using GNH (Gross National Happiness) rather than GNP (Gross National Product)? Bhutan, the eighth-happiest nation in the world and the happiest nation in Asia are one of the world’s most “isolated” nations.

This landlocked monarchy in the Himalayas provides travelers and tourists with stunning scenery, picturesque views, and unspoiled flora. It is rich in culture and legacy. The people of this “Land of the Thunder Dragon” are renowned for their beauty and ethnicity, as well as for their works and accomplishments.

Apart from all this, they have prominent people that are worth knowing, read on and see who they are.

1. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel by Royal Family of Bhutan from

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the Dragon King of Bhutan, was instrumental in modernizing his impoverished Himalayan nation. Numerous roads, schools, and hospitals were constructed during his 20-year rule. He also managed to gain financial support from India and other Asian nations. He was a big reader and a hunter and gardener at heart.

2. Jetsun Pema

The wife of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the “Dragon Queen” of Bhutan, Jetsun Pema, is the youngest queen consort in the history of the world. Pema, a basketball prodigy and member of a noble Bhutanese family, received her education in India and London. She is often likened to Princess Diana because she is a national style icon.

3. Jigme Singye Wangchuck

Jigme Singye by Prime Minister’s Office from

At the age of 16, Jigme Singye Wangchuck succeeded his father as the monarch of Bhutan. In an interesting “Royal Wedding,” Wangchuck wed four sisters. He is renowned for advocating that Bhutan should aim for Gross National Happiness rather than Gross Domestic Product.

4. Chencho Gyeltshen

CHENCHO by Sonu Shaji01 from

With nine goals in international competition, Chencho Gyeltshen, known as the Ronaldo of Bhutan, has established himself as the nation’s all-time leading scorer in football. He has played in the Indian I-League and the Thimphu League, in addition to the Bhutan National League, where he captained Druk United.

5.Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Khyentse Norbu, also known as Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, is a Bhutanese lama, screenwriter, and filmmaker. The Cup, Travelers and Magicians, and Vara: A Blessing is his three most well-known movies. What Makes You Not a Buddhist and Not for Happiness: A Guide to the So-Called Preliminary Practices are both written by him. He is also a well-known tulku connected to Derge, Eastern Tibet’s Dzongsar Monastery.

6. Tshering Tobgay

Tshering Tobgay by Tshering Tobgay from

Bhutan’s Prime Minister since 2013 is a politician from Bhutan named Tshering Tobgay. From March 2008 to April 2013, he served as the opposition party’s National Assembly leader. He also serves as the People’s Democratic Party’s leader. Tobgay was a founding member of the People’s Democratic Party and was in charge of making the organization the country of Bhutan’s first officially recognized political party.

At the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, Tobgay earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering in 1990. In 2004, he graduated from Harvard University with a master’s degree in public administration. His secondary education was completed in India at Dr. Graham’s Homes School in the eastern Himalayan city of Kalimpong.

Before entering politics, he worked as a government servant. He started working at the Department of Education’s Technical and Vocational Education Section in 1991. He founded the National Technical Training Authority in 1998, presided over it from 1998 to 2003, and from 2003 to 2007 he was a director in the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources.

7. Pema Lingpa

A well-known saint and Siddha of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Pema Lingpa or Padma Lingpa was born in Tibet. He was a distinguished terton and is regarded as the first among the Five Terton Kings. Pema Lingpa has played a significant role in the history of the Nyingma school in Bhutan, coming in second only to Padmasambhava.

8. Sonam Tenzin

Sonam Tenzin plays football for Bhutan. He represents Buddhist Blue Stars in the I-League as a Forward. Tenzin is a part of the Bhutanese national team as well.

9. Kunzang Choden

Kunzang Choden by Shii from

A writer from Bhutan, Kunzang Choden. She is the first woman from Bhutan to publish a book in English. In the Bumthang District, Choden was born. Her parents had a feudal estate.

Her father sent her to an Indian school where she studied English when she was nine years old. She holds a BA with honors in sociology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a BA with honors in psychology from Indraprastha College in Delhi. She previously performed work for the UNDP in Bhutan. She currently resides in Thimphu with her Swiss spouse. She initially published a book in 2005 called The Circle of Karma. It takes place during Bhutan’s early phase of imperially supervised modernization in the 1950s.

10. Wangay Dorji

Bhutanese former football player Wangay Dorji. He was a striker for Samtse, Transport United, Ranjung United, and Druk Pol. Following his hat-trick against Montserrat in The Other Final, Dorji attained renown on a global scale. The score was 4-0 for Bhutan. The Bhutanese national team was led by Dorji.

Though Bhutan is a small zone we may fail to notice all the great and famous people they have, we hope this list has covered the most notable people.