Bhutan is the only Mahayana Buddhist kingdom in the world, with Vajrayana Buddhism as its official religion. It is practised throughout the country by about three quarters of the population. Hinduism, closely related, is the second religion, practised by roughly a quarter, mostly in the south.
Before Buddhism took hold, several forms of animistic religion were practised, and minority groups still keep those traditions and rituals in some parts of the country.
Buddhism plays a fundamental role in the cultural, ethical and social development of Bhutan and its people. You see it in the reverence the Bhutanese have for their land, for other people and for animals. To keep it alive, one son from each family traditionally attends a monastic school.
The three main themes of Buddhism as it is taught here are detachment, impermanence and change.