The Bhutanese Leading the way.
His Majesty visited the site designated for an 18-hole Golf Course at Barshong
Her Majesty graced the Salhang of Druk Ugyen Samyeling to be built in GMC inspired by the historic Samyé monastery in Tibet
His Majesty The King, Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen, and Their Royal Highnesses Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel and Gyalsey Ugyen Wangchuck graced the opening of the 6th volunteer Zhabto programme at Gelephu Mindfulness City on 10 April 2026.
Approximately 8,100 volunteers are participating in the programme, drawn from monasteries and religious communities, the general public, government ministries, dzongkhag administrations, and business enterprises. Among them, 157 Bhutanese nationals based in Australia have also joined the 6th volunteer programme.
The five-day programme, running from April 10 to 14, will see volunteers working across several sites within GMC, clearing habitat exclusion areas, removing invasive species and undergrowth across Samdrupling and Tashiling, and clearing sites for the 108 Jangchu Chorten to be built in GMC.
They will also undertake weeding and land development work at the central park and areas between the old airport and Gelephu town, as well as bush clearing at the Riverside and Wetland Parks.
Later, His Majesty The King visited the site designated for an 18-hole Golf Course at Barshong. His Majesty was accompanied by golf course architect Tom Doak, whose minimalist designs include six courses ranked in Golf Magazine’s Top 100, co-designer Vijit Nandrajog, South Asia’s foremost golf course architect, and Mr. Ming Z. Mei, CEO of global infrastructure firm GLP and GMC Founding Member. The visit marks the formal start of the design process for the course, which will be structured as a non-profit with surpluses directed to Bhutanese communities.
Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen graced the Salhang, or ground-breaking ceremony, of Druk Ugyen Samyeling to be built in Gelephu Mindfulness City. Inspired by the historic Samyé monastery in Tibet, Druk Ugyen Samyé Ling will be a centre of Buddhist practice, study, and contemplative life.
The complex follows a sacred mandala layout, with a central temple surrounded by twelve zones designated for different ritual and community uses. It will house 200 monks and include shrine rooms, a school for Buddhist learning, and a meditation retreat hermitage. The complex will also enshrine 100,000 statues of Ugyen Norlha.
