Bhutan plants over 1 lakh trees to welcome their new born prince

Bhutan welcomes the birth of its new prince by planting over 1 lakh trees across the country.

The initiative took place a month after King Khesar and Queen Pema announced the birth of their first child, reports India Times.

Politicians of both the ruling and opposition parties organised the initiative of planting 108,000 trees across the Himalayan kingdom as prayers for the royal child to grow up happily.

Trees are considered sacred and symbolise longevity, beauty, health and compassion in Buddhism. 

"108 is a holy number in Buddhism which denotes the cleansing of 108 degradations that delay souls from attaining enlightenment, hence 108 beads in a rosary", said Tenzin Lepkhell, one of the coordinators.

Bhutan has an inherent desire of reforestation in the country and has a constitution that calls for 60% of the land to be covered by forests. Photo: Reuters

Each of the 82000 households of the country planted a tree while the other 26000 trees were planted by volunteers, he added.

Bhutan, which broke a world record by planting over 49,000 trees in an hour last year, has an inherent desire of reforestation in the country and has a constitution that calls for 60 percent of the land to be covered by forests.

King Khesar’s father introduced the Gross Happiness Index in 1972 which balances economic growth with environmental conservation and overall well being of the people.

According to the index, happiness is connected with cleaner surroundings and passion for environmental conservation no matter what the political alignments of the country are.

Bhutan, which has recently become a democracy, still looks up to the monarchy for stability and prosperity of the nation.  

Tourism Ministry of Bhutan has opened up a 'Happiness Garden', in line with the royal celebrations, where foreign visitors are invited to plant trees representing their home nation.

Giving life to something that sustains life being the key to happiness is the philosophy behind all this. 

“Bhutan is known as a country of happiness. To have a happiness garden is therefore logical. With this garden, we hope to bring the peoples of the world closer,” said Damchoe Rinzin, a spokesperson for the Tourism Council of Bhutan.