Colourful wooden windows, intricate work on roof railings and paintings of tigers, snakes and dragons adorn the walls of most homes. Pointing to a new concrete house architecturally similar to the old ones made of mud, Bhutanese tourism official Namgay Tenzin says, "We are modernising, not Westernising.""We Bhutanese believe in preserving our culture and heritage. So we are changing, but at the same time we know where to draw the line. Our outlook is modern and we are trying to incorporate changes in our lives without compromising on our beliefs," he tells this visiting IANS correspondent.

169 ft-tall Buddha statue, popularly known as Buddha Dordenma in
Thimphu. (Photo: IANS)

This is the changing face of Bhutan, popularly known as "The Land of the Thunder Dragon", a country of 700,000 people that is now actively promoting itself as a tourist destination to spur economic development.