Bhutan's King weds India-educated Pema; kingdom gets Queen

Punakha, Oct 13 (PTI) Bhutan's popular King Jigme Khesar
Namgyel Wangchuck on Thursday tied the nuptial knot with his
childhood sweetheart and India-educated commoner Jetsun Pema
in a traditional Buddhist ceremony at a stunning fortress in
this historical city, 71 km from capital Thimphu.
Amid chanting of hymns by red-robed Buddhist monks and
clanging of drums by Bhutanese, the 31-year-old dashing
Wangchuck placed the crown on the head of 21-year-old Pema,
whom he met when he was 17, as the Chief Abot (head of the
monks) of Bhutan Je Khenpo led the proceedings.
Pema, who wore a yellow jacket and a skirt according to
the traditions, was proclaimed the 'Queen of the Kingdom of
Bhutan' as the King bestowed the crown on her after a series
of ceremonies that was attended by 300 guests, including
Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Pavan K Varma and West Bengal
Governor M K Narayanan, and members of the Royal Family.
Wearing a raven crown, the King stood with a smile on his
chuckle as Pema prostrated herself before him thrice according
to the traditions and was served with a liquid that according
to belief is for longevity of the couple.
Outside the stunning 17th century fortress, located
between two rivers – Fochu (Father River) and Mochu (Mother
River), thousands of Bhutanese, including children and women,
thronged the ground near the monastic fortress to catch a
glimpse of their King and the Queen.
The people, including nomads and villagers who live in
remotest parts of the country, started assembling at the
ground as early as 5 AM (local time) braving intense cold
conditions, even as majority of the 7 lakh population glued to
their television sets to watch the wedding ceremony live.
The elaborate wedding ceremony, that is being conducted
according to Bhutanese Buddhist traditions, began at 4 AM with
initiation of special prayers by 100 monks led by by His
Holiness Je Khenpo, the head monastic preceptor.
The Oxford-educated mountain-biking fanatic Wangchuck
emerged from his palace at around 8.20 AM accompanied by Prime
Minister Jigmi Y Thinley and the Chief of Bhutan Royal Police
and proceeded straight to the large monastic fortress.
Minutes later, the Royal Bride, who did her higher
secondary schooling in Himachal Pradesh's Sanawar, walked to
the fortress through the wooden bridge across the river in a
procession of 100 people beating drums and chanting hymns.
After her arrival at the Dewa Chhen-Poi Phodrang (Palace
of Great Happiness), Pema lit a golden lamp, offered prayers
and proceeded towards Wangchuck, whom she has been
accompanying on official tours for the past few months.
After a two-hour ceremony, Wangchuck and Pema were
declared husband and wife and posed for television and still
cameras at a specially-arranged room in the monastery.
Later, the King and the Queen joined thousands of
Bhutanese at the huge ground near the palace in celebrating
the Royal Wedding by dancing and singing with their subjects.
While the guests, including envoys of various nations and
personal invitees of the King, were served a traditional
Bhutanese lunch that also had Indian items like roti.
Around 60 culinary experts from all 20 Valleys of Bhutan
have been engaged in preparing the food items for the guests.
After the Wedding on Thursday, the Royal Couple will set
out on road from Punakha to Thimphu on Friday and are likely
to be welcomed by people along the way.
Known for his simplicity, Wangchuck, who was coronated as
King of Bhutan on November 6, 2008 after his father Jigme
Singye Wangchuck transferred the throne to him, likes to cycle
across the capital and invite his subjects for a cup of tea, a
thing which is uncommon with monarchies. PTI ETB
RCL