What to Buy in Bhutan: Textiles, Stamps and Incense

Textiles, stamps, paper and incense are what to buy in Bhutan, and only one of the four is famous well beyond the country. Bhutan issued playable gramophone-record postage stamps in 1973, thin vinyl discs that carry folk songs and a spoken history of the kingdom, and philatelists have chased them ever since. Buy cloth by the weaver, stamps at a post office counter, and leave the mass-made souvenirs where they are.

Anything carried home crosses an Indian border on the way back for most visitors. The customs and baggage side sits in the guide to preparing for travelling in India.

What to buy in Bhutan

Grouped by what it is, and whether it travels.

Cloth. Kira and gho lengths, kushuthara, and yathra wool from Bumthang.
Paper. Deh-sho, made from daphne bark, sold as sheets, notebooks and lampshades.
Stamps. Both the historic issues and the personalised sheets printed at a post office.
Incense and ritual goods. Juniper and herbal incense, prayer flags, singing bowls.
Food that travels. Red rice, dried chilli, buckwheat from Bumthang.

Bhutanese textiles and the kira

Weaving is the national craft and the garments are worn daily rather than kept for display, which is why a good piece costs what it does.

The kira. The woman's full-length wrapped dress, pinned at the shoulders with a koma.
The gho. The man's knee-length robe, belted at the waist.
Kushuthara. The most intricate brocade, woven in silk on cotton, and months of work in one piece.
Yathra. Woollen strips from the Bumthang valleys, made into blankets, jackets and bags.
Where it matters. Ask who wove it and in which valley. A weaver's name is the provenance here.

Stamps, and why collectors come to Bhutan

Bhutan's postal history is the one thing on this list with a global following, and it is not a recent reputation.

The record stamps of 1973. Playable miniature gramophone discs carrying folk songs and a spoken history of the kingdom.
The wider run. Bhutan has issued stamps printed on silk, on steel foil and moulded in relief.
Personalised sheets. Bhutan Post has issued stamp templates built around a personal picture since 2008.
Where to buy. The philatelic counter at the Thimphu post office, and the postal museum beside it.
A caution. Reprints and souvenir sheets are sold widely. Ask what is postally valid and what is not.

Paper, incense and wood

Three crafts that are still made the old way and still used, which is the test worth applying to anything here.

Deh-sho paper. Handmade from daphne bark, sold flat or made up into notebooks and lampshades.
Incense. Juniper and mixed-herb sticks and powders, made at monasteries and small workshops.
Prayer flags. Sold in sets. Hung, not displayed, and that is worth knowing before buying one.
Wood. Carved masks, bowls and the turned wooden dapa, which is the one that travels best.
Singing bowls. Widely sold and widely imported. Ask where it was made.

Where to shop in Thimphu and Paro

Two towns hold almost all of it, and the difference between a shop and a cooperative is the difference between a price and a provenance.

The Thimphu craft bazaar, a row of stalls on Norzin Lam with the widest single selection.
The National Handloom Development Project in Thimphu, for cloth with a known source.
Paro's main street, convenient and priced for convenience.
The weaving centres in Bumthang, for yathra at the place it is made.
The Thimphu post office, for stamps and the postal museum.

What to avoid buying in Bhutan

Short list, and the first two are legal rather than aesthetic.

Antiques and anything religious that looks old. Export of antiquities is controlled and a certificate is required.
Anything made from wildlife. Illegal, and sold in the region.
Machine-made cloth sold as handwoven. Check the reverse of the fabric and ask who wove it.
Souvenir stamp sheets bought as an investment, which are not the same as the historic issues.

Almost every craft on this list is still in daily use somewhere in the country, which is why the good pieces are found in working towns rather than in airport shops. Our nine day journey through the valleys of Bhutan passes through the weaving valleys as well as the dzongs, and customised tours is where those stops get built into a route.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Bhutan really issue playable record stamps?

Yes. In 1973 Bhutan issued self-adhesive stamps that are miniature gramophone records, playable on a turntable, carrying Bhutanese folk songs and a spoken history of the kingdom. They came from the stamp agency run by Burt Todd, which also produced issues printed on silk and on steel foil.

What is the best thing to buy in Bhutan?

Handwoven cloth, if you buy it with a weaver's name attached. Kushuthara brocade represents months of work and is priced accordingly, and yathra wool from Bumthang is the practical everyday version. Both are worn daily in Bhutan rather than made for visitors.

Can I take antiques out of Bhutan?

No, not without clearance. Export of antiquities is controlled and anything religious that appears old needs a certificate. The practical rule is to avoid buying old religious objects at all, because the certificate is the seller's responsibility to produce and often is not produced.

Is yathra the same as pashmina?

No. Yathra is a thick woollen strip woven in the Bumthang valleys of central Bhutan, used for blankets, jackets and bags. Pashmina is a fine goat fibre from the Changthang plateau, a different animal, a different weight and a different country.

Where can I buy Bhutanese stamps?

At the philatelic counter in the Thimphu post office, which also houses the postal museum. Personalised sheets, printed around a photograph, have been issued since 2008 and are made there. Ask which items are postally valid, because reprints and souvenir sheets are sold alongside them.

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