Druk: the thunder dragon

Everything You Need to Know About Druk Dragon

In Bhutanese and Tibetan mythology, the Druk is the “Thunder Dragon“, it is also a Bhutanese national symbol. The Druk appears on the flag of Bhutan, holding jewels that represent the wealth and safety of Bhutan.

In Dzongkha, Bhutan is called Druk Yul, “Land of Druk” or “Land of the Thunder Dragon”.

Bhutanese leaders are called Druk Gyalpo, “Dragon Kings”.
The people of Bhutan are known as the Drukpa, or “Dragon People”.

In the 2008 elections in Bhutan, all four parties were named Druk. The national anthem of Bhutan, Druk Tsendhen, is translated as “The Druk Kingdom”.

Druk (also known as “duk” or “dug”) was adopted as the emblem by the Drukpa lineage, which originated in Tibet and later spread to Bhutan.

The History of Druk in Bhutanese Mythology

Druk Dragon is deeply rooted in Bhutanese mythology. According to traditional stories and legends, when the founder of the sect, Tsangpa Gyare, 1st Gyalwang Drukpa, began to build the monastery of Ralung, he witnessed a violent thunderbolt.

He looked up to see nine dragons flying in the sky. Traditionally, thunder and lightning were associated with dragons, he concluded that the thunder was the voice of a dragon.

This experience inspired him to found the Drukpa Kagyu School (Tibetan Buddhism).

Beginning in the 1900s, the High Lama of Bhutan wore a hat with thunder dragons on it to symbolize the origins of the sect. As the sect became more popular, monasteries were established in Bhutan.

The area became known as Dug Yul, or Land of the Thunder Dragon, among Tibetans and Bhutanese”. Dzongkha” (Tibetan dialect) is the national language of Bhutan. The word “Dzongkha” refers to the language (Kha) spoken in Dzong “fortresses”.

It characterizes the monasteries established throughout Bhutan by its unifies, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche, in the 17th century”.

The Druk Dragon is a National Symbol of Bhutan (Country)

The Bhutanese Flag (ཧྥ་རན་ས་ཀྱི་དར་ཆ་) is one of the national symbols of Bhutan. Yellow symbolizes civil tradition and temporal authority embodied by the Druk Gyalpo, the dragon king of Bhutan, whose royal dress traditionally includes a yellow kabney (silk scarf).

The orange half represents the Buddhist spiritual tradition. The flag is based on the Drukpa lineage tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and represents Druk, the Thunder Dragon of Bhutanese mythology.

Historically, Bhutan is known by many names, but the Bhutanese call the country Druk in reference to the name of the Bhutanese Thunder Dragon.

You Too Become a Dragon

We have just seen what were the meanings and symbolisms of Druk Dragon in the eyes of Bhutan. We now know that the Bhutanese people are proud to wear the Thunder Dragon as a symbol of the country.

Its origins go back many centuries and they have been able to perpetuate the traditions of their ancestors. Add a little fantasy to your style with our beautiful Dragon Hoodies.

Our selection offers you a wide choice of hoodies embroidered or printed with the effigy of Asian dragons.

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