0073 Bhutan Flag of country FOTW44

Sent: 2017 (not readable)

Received 2017

Sender: Foysal Shahriar Ratul (fb)

http://postcardsmarket.com/product/bhutan-fw/

The national flag of Bhutan (Dzongkha: ཧྥ་རན་ས་ཀྱི་དར་ཆ་) is one of the national symbols of Bhutan. The flag is based upon the tradition of the Drukpa Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and features Druk, the Thunder Dragon of Bhutanese mythology. The basic design of the flag by Mayum Choying Wangmo Dorji dates to 1947. A version was displayed in 1949 at the signing of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty. A second version was introduced in 1956 for the visit of Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuk to eastern Bhutan; it was based upon photos of its 1949 predecessor and featured a white Druk in place of the green original.

The Bhutanese subsequently redesigned their flag to match the measurements of the flag of India, which they believed fluttered better than their own. Other modifications such as changing the red background color to orange led to the current design, in use since 1969. The National Assembly of Bhutan codified a code of conduct in 1972 to formalize the flag's design and establish protocol regarding acceptable flag sizes and conditions for flying the flag. (wiki)

Bhutan Post Office and Mailbox

Bhutan Post http://www.bhutanpost.bt/

The Postal Service in Bhutan was first launched on 10th October 1962 with the opening of a post office in Phuentsholing. In the same year, post offices were also opened in Paro and Thimphu.

Bhutan became a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the body of the United Nations concerned with postal affairs, in 1969. Although Bhutan had already established mail exchange with a few other countries, it was the first time that its presence was felt at an international postal gathering. In 1983 Bhutan also became a member of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU).

Until 1st October 1996, the Division of Posts and Telegraphs was a government body. However, as a part of the Royal Government's policy of granting autonomy to organizations, which have potential to operate independently, the Division of Posts and Telegraphs was converted to the status of an autonomous commercial corporation on 1st October 1996 under the trading name " Bhutan Post ".

Bhutan Post office photo, photo from Brenda Van Lier:

Mailbox in Bhutan, photos from Piyali Bose: