In olden days Bhutan has
been well known for the Nyagoe or the strongest man who were
usually the Pazaps (soldiers) or the right hand man of
the rulers then. With bare foot and sword always in hand, they were the most
furious of all.
Before 1907, Bhutan has been
ruled by various regional rulers and every ruler fought for the power wit each
other. The only weapon that they used was the sword and
the shield for protection. Only the ones with strongest men will
emerge as winners and will rule. The Trongsa Penlop (Ruler of Trongsa region)
Jigme Namgyal came as the ultimate strongest of all others and he unified
Bhutan as one. After that in the year 1907, His brave son Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck was then crowned
as the first King of Bhutan which marked the beginning of Bhutan's journey
as an independent and sovereign nation. More than 100 years
now, Bhutan has come a long way under the dynamic
and farsighted leadership of the Wanghuck Dynasty.
Had it not been the Nyagoe tactics and skills of the Trongsa Penlop Jigme Namgyal and his men, Bhutan
could not have found the way of this journey towards peace and prosperity. In
order to thank and to mark the sacrifice and the tactics of their skills, the
Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) has started to crown the strongest man of
Bhutan starting last year. BBS has been going round the country selecting one Nyagoe from each District. After having
selected, they are being trained and guided and screened to top five. The
top five then compete during the Birth Anniversary of His Majesty to select one
of them as the Nyagoe of the year.
The competition is very tough. They have to compete among others and
also with the time. They have to drag a log, carry it on their shoulder, then
chop it, after that they have to carry a bag of sand and then finally a carry
two wheels of a truck. The weight of the log, sand and wheels ranges from
100-130 kilograms. The weight increases as they mover higher up
the competition.
Moreover in the final day,
other competitors are made to wrestle, compete in shot-put and also
bull-fighting. The winners take home various kinds of prizes. The show has been
spectated by many throughout the country. The main objective of the show was
firstly to preserve the dying culture of Nyagoe in Bhutan and culture preservation is
one of the pillar of Gross National Happiness and secondly it also helps us to
remind ourselves of the braveness and the sacrifices our ancestors have made to
unify and then to preserve the sovereign of our country. This year, 2015,
the top five Nyagoes have been selected and the best among
the best will be given the title as the Strongest Man of Bhutan on 21st
February coinciding with the birth anniversary of His
Majesty.
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