Experience the ancient and wonderful traditions of Bhutan

This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Lesley Stahl reported from Bhutan, a small, remote country tucked away in the Himalayas.

The Buddhist kingdom is known for its awe-inspiring mountains, pristine forests, beautiful temples and spirituality.

“I’m not a spiritual person. But I had all kinds of emotional reactions to the beauty of Bhutan,” Stahl told 60 Minutes Overtime.

“Snow-capped mountains, lush forests … it’s charming, absolutely charming.”

Stahl arrived at Paro International Airport on a small plane from New Delhi, landing on a runway flanked by steep mountains.

“When you look out the window, you can see yourself coming down these steep hillsides. It’s hair-raising. It’s also one of the most beautiful sights ever,” Stahl said.

Buddhism is the state religion of Bhutan and is practiced by most of its citizens.

On any given day, many people, young and old, can be seen at temples spinning prayer wheels, large cylinders made of wood, as they pass by.

Stahl spoke with Dr. Lotay Tshering, a former prime minister of Bhutan, in the center of the town of Gelephu, and he explained how the prayer wheels work.

Tshering told her that they are filled with millions of written prayers and people spin them wishing for longevity in life or the welfare of the world.

As the wheel is turned clockwise, the devotee mentally recites a wish that they hope will come true.

“Even now I make my wish,” he told Stahl.

“Whatever the reason for 60 Minutes to do this…to run this project, let it happen. That’s my prayer, wish for the day. So yes, these are very important in our lives.”

While the team was in the country’s capital, Thimphu, they saw a festival called the Thimphu Drubchen, with ceremonial dances, known as cham, that take place every year.

Masked dancers perform precisely choreographed dances for a packed audience of Bhutanese to celebrate the female deities they believe offer them protection.

Stahl spoke to Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay from a balcony overlooking the courtyard of Tashichho Dzong, a fortress-like monastery and administrative center where the festival is held.

“This particular ceremony in Thimphu has been going on… continuously, every year, for more than 400 years,” he told Stahl.

He told Stahl that while the performance is entertaining and enjoyable, bearing witness to it has a sacred religious purpose.

“Just by witnessing these dances … we believe we receive blessings to protect us for a whole year.”

In a field of grass in Thimphu, Stahl watched an archery match with Rabsel Dorji, who works for the Bhutanese government.

Two teams of archers, using traditional bows and arrows made of bamboo, aimed at a target about 145 meters away, the length of a football field and a half.

“(The target) is pretty far away and pretty small. It’s only about three feet tall and… a foot wide. So it’s a difficult task,” Dorji told Stahl.

Dorji explained that depending on where the arrow hits, the team is awarded one or two points. The first team to 25 points wins a match. The team that wins the best out of three matches wins the match.

But points can be deducted from a team if the opposing team hits the goal afterwards.

“The game can go very, very far into a full day … or a full two or three day affair,” Dorji said.

Stahl reacted with surprise when she saw a team singing and dancing after they hit a goal.

Dorji explained that it is similar to an end-zone dance. “It’s a Bhutanese version of it,” he said, laughing.

Stahl told Overtime that during her travels, it was apparent that Bhutan was still firmly connected to its ancient past.

“Many countries in the world have (become) so westernized that they have lost their character. Here they have kept their old traditions… they have kept their old architecture. They wear old-fashioned clothes,” she said.

But Bhutan faces an economic challenge that has made its future uncertain: young people are leaving the country for higher-paying jobs in countries like Australia.

Stahl and the 60 Minutes team were granted a rare audience with the King of Bhutan, who described his plans to build a new city, Gelephu Mindfulness City, in the country’s south, near the border with India.

The king hopes that the new city will provide job opportunities that will bring these young people back.

“The king’s concept is that there will be a modern city, but it will be Bhutanese. Buddhism will be at the core of it. Clean air, clean water,” she told Overtime.

The king hired the renowned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels to design the new city. Ingels showed Stahl renderings for several projects, including a massive, colorful dam that will be used to generate hydropower.

“And in the middle of the dam is a temple, right in the middle of the dam,” Stahl said.

“You have to hope that this little country can succeed in maintaining its character, its spirituality.”

The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Sarah Shafer Prediger.