National Library of Bhutan, National library and archives in Thimphu, Bhutan
The National Library of Bhutan is a national library and archive in the center of Thimphu, housed in an eight-sided, four-story building near the Royal Thimphu Golf Course. The building follows traditional Bhutanese architectural style and contains exhibition rooms with rare texts and historical photographs.
The institution was founded in 1967 under the patronage of Queen Ashi Phuntso Choden and first operated from the central tower of Tashichodzong. It later moved to its current building, which was constructed to accommodate its growing collections and functions.
The library holds a broad collection of Buddhist scriptures and traditional texts from different religious schools found in Bhutan. Walking through the exhibition rooms, visitors notice how closely written knowledge is tied to the spiritual life of the country.
Visitors are expected to remove their shoes before entering, as is customary in this type of place in Bhutan. It is worth allowing enough time to explore the exhibition rooms at a relaxed pace.
One of the exhibition rooms displays a copy of what is considered the world's largest published book, titled 'Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom', standing about 2 meters (6.5 ft) tall. Many visitors are surprised to find such an oversized object inside a library.
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