Henry and I were taken to see the new stadium in the center of Thimphu, built as a venue for the coronation of the fifth king in 2008. This new arena also now serves as grounds for sporting events, including football, archery, and the game of Khuru, or darts. When we walked through the decorative gates onto the grounds of the stadium,  we could see colorful flags and beautiful tents on the field. Each of these blue and white tents, was trimmed in gold and red, the sides of each emblazoned with the eight symbols of Buddhism. Two Khuru competitions were in play on the field simultaneously, each match with two teams facing off against each other.  The team members, an equal number of 7, 9 or 11, were on each opposing team, all dressed in the traditional Gho (long kimono styled garment, belted to the knee, worn with knee-length socks), but without specific colors or patterns to indicate a uniform. Suddenly, four members of one team began dancing around, singing a single stanza of a song, and congratulating one of their team members. His dart, easy for us to see from our field position, was a bull’e eye, which gave his team 3 points! Now is was time for the opposing team to try their skills at throwing a large, heavily weighted dart the distance of 30 meters/98 feet toward the painted target, a block of wood set on the ground at a specific angle. Each team member had a chance to throw two darts, alternating each throw with his equivalent opponent on the other team. If the dart hit the bull’s eye, three points would be earned for the team. Two points would be earned if  the dart hit the block of wood, but not the target. If the dart went astray without even hitting the block of wood, then no score was recorded and the turn was counted as nil. The length of the game varied. It could last all day with a set time designated for the match, often requiring a lunch break; or, the match could be played a certain number of sets, pre-designated by negotiations between  the organizer of the tournament and captains of the teams.  In either case, at the end of the competition, the team with the higher score won the match. This sporting event was colorful and fun to watch, especially given the skill, coordination, and camaraderie exhibited amongst the  members. As we left the stadium, we could hear more chanting: “Khura, Khura Da Bin Karie, Go Ba!” Roughly translated from Bhutanese, the essence of this chant is: “Oh, my friend, I’m expecting some target, please hit here!” as encouragement to the next man’s throw of his dart.

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. View of the stadium stands. Bhutanese prayer flags fly from the upper deck of the stands. 2. A Khuru team member takes his turn at throwing an arrow. 3. Khuru team members gather near the target. 4.  A Khuru participant consulting a Buddhist monk on the stadium grounds. Center, Top:  Jamyung and Yarab, our tour team from Uma Paro,  standing before the Khuru competition on the grounds of  Changlimithang Stadium. Center, Bottom:  An arrow hits the target! These targets are 30 meters distance from the line of toss. Right Column: 1. The formal pavilions at Chamlimithang Stadium. 2. The Khuru team marking the arrow on target. 3. Celebrating the bull’s eye! 4. A tent enclosure. This ceremonial tent is embellished with Buddhist symbols.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE