“Druk tsendhen” (The Thunder Dragon Kingdom) is how Bhutanese also refer to their country. The music is reminiscent of the native style of music in that region. The composer of the anthem was trained in India, becoming that country’s first bandmaster. After his return to Bhutan, the Indian prime minsiter paid a visit to the country, and the anthem was composed for the occassion, on the request of the Bhutanese king. The original tune was based on the folk song “Thri nyampa med pa pemai thri” (“The Unchanging Lotus Throne”). An interesting note is that the folk song has choreography that goes along with it, making this possibly the only national anthem to be based on a choreographical work.

Special thanks to: Keith Terrett for the music file.