The King of Shangri-La

With its sparkling air, snow-capped mountains and countless whitewashed Buddhist temples, the tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan is probably the world's closest real-life equivalent to James Hilton's Shangri-La. The 1,100,000 Bhutanese, most of whom are illiterate peasants, sense that they live in a uniquely calm and contented country, which they call "the end of the rainbow land of desires." Last week Bhutan gave itself another distinction by publicly crowning the world's youngest monarch, 18-year-old King Jigme Singye Wangchuk. He will henceforth be known as "the dragon king."

Royal astrologers in Thimphu, Bhutan's capital, had delayed the ceremony until they were satisfied that all the signs were in order, but the investiture, once begun, proceeded with flawless splendor. As the King approached the courtyard of the Tashichhodzong, the fortress and monastery that serves as the seat of government, lamas wearing miter-shaped red silk hats and red woolen robes walked in procession ahead of him, and barefoot male dancers in wide silk skirts described intricate patterns in the courtyard. Forty more monks stood on the roof of the building and blared out a discordant fanfare on 10-ft.-long copper horns. Thousands of silk banners and pennants fluttered in the cool breeze of the 8,000-ft.-high capital.

Three Skulls. Inside the throne room, the King sat cross-legged on the heavily gilded wooden throne, which is embellished with the images of lions and thunderbolts. He was surrounded by 13 silk brocaded cushions. On a covered table in front of him rested the seven royal gems, which the Bhutanese believe are essential to ensure the strength, health and benevolence of their rulers.

At an auspicious moment decreed by the astrologers, the King draped the royal five-colored scarf of Bhutan's Kings over his shoulders in the presence of the country's chief lama, the Jey Khempo. No other hands than theirs are ever allowed to touch the sacred silk. In an earlier ceremony, the King had already been given the Bhutanese crown, a silver-and-silk hat embroidered with three skulls and topped by the head of a raven, which is supposed to protect him from harm throughout his reign.

The new dragon king, one of the world's last absolute monarchs, will probably need more than a raven to protect him. Shortly before his coronation, the Bhutanese announced that they had broken up a plot by Tibetan refugees to kill the King, burn the Tashichhodzong and take over the country for themselves. The plotters had apparently hoped to use Bhutan as a springboard to take back neighboring Tibet from the Chinese. The schemers allegedly included the beauteous Tibetan mistress of the late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, who died of a heart ailment at age 44 in 1972. Other plots to take over the government at Thimphu, one of them led by the new King's maternal uncle, have been launched in recent years, but so far all have failed.

Looming across the Himalayas from Bhutan is the threat of China, which claims some of the small (18,000 sq. mi.) kingdom. It was because of the Chinese shadow, in fact, that the King's father began to modernize Bhutan and bring it closer to India, which advises the tiny country on its foreign affairs and trains its army. Roads to India's West Bengal State were carved through mountains and jungles, and in 1968 the first airstrip was laid down, a step that immediately cut travel time from West Bengal to Bhutan from five dangerous and uncomfortable days to 30 minutes. The late King also freed some 5,000 slaves in 1956 and built schools and hospitals for his people.

Like the fictional inhabitants of Shangri-La, the Bhutanese believe in moderation in all things. Almost everyone, from the King himself to the peasants who farm the gentle, terraced hillsides, seems content with Bhutan as it is now, 95% medieval and 5% modern. In an effort to boost the economy and make life a little more comfortable, however, the government is planning to let in its first tourists--in moderation of course. Up to now, Bhutan's chief money earner abroad has been the sale of its colorful postage stamps, some of which are miniature LPs with the Bhutanese national anthem recorded on them.

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