Bhutan's traditional sport is archery and it is practiced in every village. Every village has it own archery range. High spirited competitions, usually accompanied by a banquet, are a part of all festive occasions. Using bamboo bows (although modern compound bows are finding their way into the kingdom) teams of archers shoot at targets only 30 centimeters in diameter from a distance of 120 meters. Each team has a noisy crowd of supporters who, as well as encouraging their own side and try to out off the opposition. The game of archery is not exactly a sport that draws frenzied supporters out for a kill. There are no streaking hooligans. It is a sport to gather for fun and excitement. It is also a way to increase concentration and catch the spirit of team work. In Bhutan, archery is practiced by women as well as men. Bhutan's National Women Archery Team gets a lot success in international tournaments.Archery in Bhutan is more than a sport, it is a living example and a dynamic manifestation of the unique traditions and culture of the Bhutanese people, and it is a celebration of the Bhutanese way of life. No festival and no celebration is complete without a game of archery and the game itself is a combination of physical talents and spiritual influences where the deities and spirits are called upon to help a player or a team to perform better and win the contest.
The origins of the game of archery are steeped in myths and legends and go back to the times of the Buddha. Warrior kings were said to have subjugated not only physical armies of enemy kingdoms but also evil spirits of the metaphysical realms. Prophesies were made through the use of the bow and the arrow and the country's sovereignty and independence are linked to these weapons of war.
Like everything else, the other side of archery begins with God. Every time a tournament is under way, there are suddenly silent, unassuming, sentinels at every sacred place. One archer can't quite forget his moment of triumph, even though it was not in the real game, and still gets ecstatic every time he regales listeners with the story. Temples and deities are much, or most, sought during tournaments. Archers say the simplest short cut to victory is appeasing your protectors and carrying to the game a piece of anything blessed by the deities.
To visit Bhutan Archery Federation's page, please click:
http://www.baf.org.bt
1 comment:
Great posts on this blog. I'm on my way to Dhaka and will be needing all the information i can get because I will be staying shortly in Bhutan, I need to be able to gather knowledge as well as pictures, I adore Buddhism as well. Thanks for sharing. Your article was a real brain massage.Seem the people there are into archery, will an English bow be a nice gift?
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