National Library & Archives Of Bhutan — Attraction in Thimphu District

The National Library of Bhutan was first established in 1967 under the patronage of HM Queen Ashi Phuntso Choden (1911–2003), with a small collection of precious texts. The library was initially housed within the central tower (utse) of Tashichodzong. Later, due to its growing collection, it had to move to a building in the Changgangkha area of Thimphu.

To provide a permanent home for the sacred religious books and manuscripts in the growing collection, construction of the present four-storeyed eight-cornered traditional building, which looks like the central tower temple of a Bhutanese Dzong, in the Kawajangtsa area of Thimphu was initiated. The cost of the construction of this building was borne entirely by the Royal Government of Bhutan without any foreign aid.

This building, which houses the collection of traditional texts, was inaugurated and consecrated as a temple by H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche on November 23, 1984 in order to provide a sacred space for the religious books which form the bulk of the collection. The library moved into its permanent home at the end of 1984 under the auspices of the then Special Commission for...

National Library of Bhutan or NLB was established in 1967 and possesses a wide collection of 6100 Bhutanese and Tibetan books, xylographs and manuscripts as well as 9000 printing boards and wooden printing blocks for religious books. It has one of the largest holdings of Buddhist Literature in the entire world and it is one of the best places to visit in Thimpu.

It has a dedicated collection and promotes religious and cultural heritage of Bhutan in the form of ancient printed resources related to history, religion, traditions, and culture of Bhutan.

Highlights: The building is two-storied with staff accommodations, administrative offices along with technical equipments like computers, microfilm section, separate room for wooden books and much more.

Located in: Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan.

Open from : 9:30 am to 5:00 pm (Monday to Friday) in March to October and 9:30 am to 4:00 pm in November to February and remains closed on government holidays and weekends. It is a complete...

It’s a small library in Thimphu but earns the honour as a national institution of Bhutan.

The collection is predominantly in Bhutanese language with some in English.

The flower beds at the entrance are excellent.

One has to take out the shoes before entry. However, photography is possible.

A significant attraction at this place is an enormous sized published book. It contains only a hundred and forty-four pages. But, a new page is flipped through once in a month. Thus to appreciate the entire volume, a viewer will need twelve years!

As expected, the library had a desolate look. Was it a reflection of redundancy of...