The tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan crowned its new king yesterday in a ceremony that saw thousands trek from snowy villages to the capital, Thimphu, to be greeted by elaborate displays of pageantry culminating in incensed-filled Buddhist rituals.
The crowning of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck as the fifth king of Bhutan comes after a two-year wait for the precise moment deemed most auspicious for a successful reign.
It is also part of a plan by his revered father, who abdicated in 2006, to modernise his country of 635,000 people by ending more than a 100 years of absolute royal rule. The first parliamentary elections were held in March.
The investiture began to the sound of drums, cymbals and trumpets and saw the royal family, heads of government and the country's Buddhist chief abbot ascend to the Golden Throne room in the white-walled Tashichhodzong, which means "the fortress of the glorious religion".
When the clocks struck 8:31am local time, the former king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, 52, placed the Raven crown on the head of his eldest son, making the 28-year-old the druk gyalpo, or dragon king.
The new king then walked through an honour guard, past three four-storey high banners depicting the lives of Buddha and the gurus who brought the faith to Bhutan, to a temple on the other side of the Tashichhodzong.
Bhutan now goes into three days and nights of festivities, and has even shut down its mobile telephone network for the occasion.
King Khesar is known as a keen basketball player and his good looks have won hearts across north-east India and south-east Asia. Educated at Oxford University, he retains strong links with Britain.
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