By Alastair Lawson BBC correspondent in Thimphu

Celebrations in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan in honour of the king's 28th jubilee have ended.

The highlight was an archery tournament which culminated on Monday in the capital, Thimpu, and was attended by hundreds of Bhutanese wearing traditional dress.

On Sunday night a large crowd of mostly young people attended a jubilee concert.

The party atmosphere following the king's jubilee over the weekend continued on Monday throughout the handful of bars and clubs in Thimpu.

Deeply admired

Although many young people stayed away from an archery tournament timed to coincide with the jubilee, it was not because they do not respect their king.

In the capital he is so deeply admired that his proposals to relinquish his powers and turn Bhutan into a constitutional monarchy have been strongly resisted by government ministers.

Photographs of the king and his four wives are displayed all over the country.

He is often seen in public talking to his subjects with a minimum level of security.

Low-key celebrations

Royal officials say that this was a relatively low-key jubilee by Bhutanese standards, despite the obvious veneration most people seem to have for their king.

Officials say a far bigger celebration will be held in two years' time - the 30th anniversary of his coronation.

King Jigme Singye Wangchuchk has already been on the throne in Bhutan for three decades as he was crowned two years after assuming power in a country that was then an absolute monarchy.

King's priorities

Today the king says his priority is to bring his country into the 21st century without allowing Bhutanese culture to be undermined.

The king is fiercely proud of his country's Buddhist heritage and is determined that its wide array of plant and wildlife should be protected from the ravages of too much tourism.

So active is the monarch that it is thought that he was behind efforts recently to prevent traffic lights appearing for the first time in Thimpu.

Their introduction would have meant that the city's famous arm-waving policemen in charge of directing traffic would have been made redundant.

In a country that prides itself on tradition, that would have been unacceptable.