Rajadom of Bhutan

The Rajadom of Bhutan
Druk Yul

[[]] [[]] state flag coat of arms
[[]] map of Bhutan
Capitals
Royal	Punakha
Administrative	Thimp
Government	constitutional monarchy
Head of State	His Royal Highness Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk
Head of Government	Jigme Y. Thinley
Demonym	Bhutanese
Founding	1616
Area	95,533 km² 36,885 mi²
Population	951,630
Ethnicities	Bhotia Monpa numerous indigenous tribes
Languages
Official	Dzongkha
Other	Nepali, Deori Tshangla
Religions
Official	Buddhism 85%
Other	Hinduism 9% Animism 6%
Currency	1 Himalayan Rupee (Rs) = 20 sukaa (s) = 240 paisa (p)
ISO Code	DRK
Time zone	UTC +6:00
Telephone Code	?
Registration
Aviation	DRK
Amateur radio	DRK
Radio prefix	DRK
Organizations	Himalayan Confederacy
Sports
Official	archery
Other

History

Text in bold print indicates PoD.

Origins and early settlement

• Bhutan's early history is steeped in mythology and remains obscure. It may have been inhabited as early as 2000 B.C., but not much was known until the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism in the ninth century A.D. when turmoil in Tibet forced many monks to flee to Bhutan.
• It is suggested by archeological evidence that the mountain valleys of Bhutan have been inhabited for several thousand years. Study of the Bhutanese people reveals that they are related to their Tibetan cousins to the north, as they share physical, cultural and linguistic traits. Some time in the past a significant migration of Tibetans must have crossed the Himalayan passes to create the ancient core of this people.
• A more certain prehistoric period has been theorized by historians as that of the state of Lhomon (southern darkness) or Monyul (dark land, a reference to the Monpa aboriginal peoples of Bhutan), possibly a part of Tibet before Buddhism was introduced.
• Monyul is thought to have existed between 500 B.C. and A.D. 600. The names Lhomon Tsendenjong (southern Mon sandalwood country) and Lhomon Khashi (southern Mon country of four approaches), found in ancient Bhutanese and Tibetan chronicles, may also have been used by some Bhutanese scholars when referring to their homeland.
• Some scholars believe that during the early historical period the inhabitants were fierce mountain aborigines, the Monpa, who were of neither the Tibetan nor the Mongol stock that later overran northern Bhutan. The people of Monyul practiced the shamanistic Bön religion, which emphasized worship of nature and the existence of good and evil spirits. During the latter part of this period, historical legends relate that the mighty king of Monyul invaded a southern region known as the Dooars, subduing the regions of modern Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar.

Arrival of Buddhism

• The introduction of Buddhism occurred in the seventh century, when the Tibetan king Srongtsen Gampo (627-49), a convert to Buddhism, ordered the construction of two Buddhist temples, one at Bumthang in central Bhutan and the other at Kyichu in the Paro Valley. Buddhism replaced but did not eliminate the Bon religious practices that had been prevalent in Tibet until the late sixth century. Instead, Buddhism absorbed Bon and Widipedia:Padmasambhava|Padmasambhava]] (known in Bhutan as Guru Rimpoche), came to Bhutan from India at the invitation of one of the numerous local kings. After reportedly subduing eight classes of demons and converting the king, Guru Rimpoche moved on to Tibet. Upon his return from TibetS, he oversaw the construction of new monasteries in the Paro Valley and set up his headquarters in Bumthang. According to tradition, he founded the Nyingmapa sect (also known as the "old sect" or Red Hat sect) of Mahayana Buddhism, which became for a time the dominant religion of Bhutan. Guru Rimpoche plays a great historical and religious role as the national patron saint who introduced the tantras, manuals describing forms of devotion to natural energy, to Bhutan. Following the guru's sojourn, Indian influence played a temporary role until increasing Tibetan migrations brought new cultural and religious contributions.
• There was no central government during this period. Instead, small independent monarchies began to develop by the early ninth century. Each was ruled by a deb (king), some of whom claimed divine origins. The Kingdom of Bumthang was the most prominent among these. At the same time, Tibetan Buddhist monks had firmly planted their religion and culture in Bhutan, and members of joint Tibetan-Mongol military expeditions settled in the fertile valleys. By the eleventh century, all of Bhutan was occupied by Tibetan-Mongol military forces.

The 12th Century

• In the 12th century, the Drukpa Kagyupa school was established and remains the dominant form of Buddhism in Bhutan today. The country's political history is intimately tied to its religious history and the relations among the various monastic schools and monasteries.

The 17th Century

• This religious change, however, did not change the social scene until 1616, when the existing warring tribes were gathered under the leadership of a Tibetan lama and military leader, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. He had escaped political foes in Tibet in 1616 and began to fortify himself militarily, beginning the consolidation of Bhutan. He defeated three Tibetan invasions, subjugated rival religious schools, codified an intricate and comprehensive system of law, and established himself as shabdrung over a system of ecclesiastical and civil administrators becoming the temporal and spiritual leader of Bhutan. He built impressive fortresses or dzongs, notably Simtokha Dzong, which guarded the entrance to Thimphu Valley. The Shabdrung was an insightful leader, using cultural symbols and military force to develop a Bhutanese national identity, including a number of sacred dances that are still performed at the annual tsechu festivals. After his death, infighting and civil war eroded the power of the shabdrung for the next 200 years until in 1885, Ugyen Wangchuk was able to consolidate power.
  • Tibetan armies invaded Bhutan around 1629, in 1631, and again in 1639, hoping to stop Ngawang Namgyal's popularity before it spread too far. The invasions were thwarted, and the Drukpa subsect developed a strong presence in western and central Bhutan, leaving Ngawang Namgyal supreme.
  • Emboldened by his successes, Ngawang Namgyal led his armies eastward along the Himalayan foothills to the far side of the Brahmaputra River. This eastern acquisition doubled the size of his kingdom. This newly acquuired area already had a close relationship with Tibetan people and Tibetan culture. The sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso was born in Tawang.
  • In recognition of the power he accrued, goodwill missions were sent from Cooch Behar in Bangal, from Nepal in the west, and Ladakh in western Tibet. The ruler of Ladakh even gave a number of villages in his kingdom to Ngawang Namgyal.
  • Bhutan's troubles were not over, however. In 1643, a joint Mongol-Tibetan force sought to destroy Nyingmapa refugees who had fled to Bhutan, Sikkim, and Nepal. The Mongols had seized control of religious and civil power in Tibet in the 1630s and established Gelugpa as the state religion. Bhutanese rivals of Ngawang Namgyal encouraged the Mongol intrusion, but the Mongol force was easily defeated in the humid lowlands of southern Bhutan. Another Tibetan invasion in 1647 also failed.
  • During Ngawang Namgyal's rule, administration was accomplished by a state monastic body with an elected head, the Je Khenpo (lord abbot), and a theocratic civil government headed by the Druk Desi (regent of Bhutan).
  • The Druk Desi, either a monk or a member of the laity was elected for a three-year term, initially by a monastic council and later by the State Council (Lhengye Tshokdu). The State Council was a central administrative organ that included regional rulers, the shabdrung's chamberlains, and the Druk Desi. In time, the Druk Desi came under the political control of the State Council's most powerful faction of regional administrators. The shabdrung was the head of state and the ultimate authority in religious and civil matters.
  • The seat of government was at Thimphu, the site of a thirteenth-century dzong, in the spring, summer, and fall. The winter capital was at Punakha, a dzong established northeast of Thimphu in 1527.
  • The kingdom was divided into four dzongdey (prefectures). These are Thimphu, Punakha, Tongsa, and Mongar. Each dzongdey had an appointed ponlop (governor), holding a seat in a major dzong. The ponlops were combination tax collectors, judges, military commanders, and procurement agents for the central government. Their major revenues came from the trade between Tibet and India and from land taxes.
  • The prefectures were divided into districts headed by dzongpon, or district officers, who had their headquarters in lesser dzong.
  • Ngawang Namgyal's regime was bound by a legal code called the Tsa Yig, which described the spiritual and civil regime and provided laws for government administration and for social and moral conduct. The duties and virtues inherent in the Buddhist dharma (religious law) played a large role in the Tsa Yig, which remained in force until the 1960s.
  • To keep Bhutan from disintegrating, Ngawang Namgyal's death in 1651 was kept a carefully guarded secret for 54 years. Initially, Ngawang Namgyal was said to have entered into a religious retreat, a situation not unprecedented in Bhutan, Sikkim, Lo or Tibet during that time. During the period of Ngawang Namgyal's supposed retreat, appointments of officials were issued in his name, and food was left in front of his locked door.
• Ngawang Namgyal's son succeeded him in 1651, and his stepbrother in 1680. They started their reigns as minors under the control of religious and civil regents and rarely exercised authority in their own names. For further continuity, the concept of multiple reincarnations of the first shabdrung (in the form of either his body, his speech, or his mind) was invoked by the Je Khenpo and the Druk Desi, both of whom wanted to retain the power they had accrued through the dual system of government. The last person recognized as the bodily reincarnation of Ngawang Namgyal died in the mid-eighteenth century, but speech and mind reincarnations, embodied by individuals who acceded to the position of shabdrung, were recognized into the early twentieth century.
  • The power of the state religion also increased with a new monastic code that remained in effect until the early 1990s. The compulsory admission to monastic life of at least one son from any family having three or more sons was instituted in the late seventeenth century. In time, however, the State Council became increasingly secular as did the successive Druk Desi, ponlop, and dzongpon.
• During the first period of succession and further internal consolidation under the Druk Desi government, there was conflict with Tibet and Sikkim. Internal opposition to the central government resulted in overtures by the opponents of the Druk Desi to Tibet and Sikkim. In the 1680s, Bhutan invaded Sikkim in pursuit of a rebellious local lord.
• In 1700, Bhutan again invaded Sikkim, and in 1714 Tibetan forces, aided by Mongolia, invaded Bhutan but were unable to gain control.

The 18th Century

• Though the invaders were unable to take control, the political system remained unstable and regional rivalries contributed to the gradual disintegration of Bhutan.
• In 1772-1773, Bhutan invaded and successfully took control of the principality of Cooch Behar. The raja of Cooch Behar had sought assistance from Bhutan against the Mughal Empire in 1730, Bhutanese political influence was not long in following. By the mid-1760s, Thimphu considered Cooch Behar its dependency, stationing a garrison force there and directing its civil administration. When the Druk Desi invaded Sikkim in 1770, Cooch Behari forces joined their Bhutanese counterparts in the offensive. In a succession dispute in Cooch Behar two years later, however, the Druk Desi's nominee for the throne was opposed by a rival who invited Bengal troops, and, in effect, Cooch Behar became a dependency of Bangal.

The 19th Century

• In the 1870s and 1880s, renewed competition among regional rivals, primarily the ponlop of Tongsa and the pro-Tibetan ponlop of Paro, resulted in a victory for Ugyen Wangchuk, the ponlop of Tongsa. From his power base in central Bhutan, Ugyen Wangchuck defeated his political enemies and united the country following several civil wars and rebellions in 1882-85.
• His victory came at a time of crisis for the central government, however. Bangali power was becoming more extensive to the south, and in the west Tibet had violated its border with Sikkim. After 1,000 years of close ties with Tibet, Bhutan faced the threat of Bangali military power and was forced to make serious geopolitical decisions
• Bangal wanted to open trade relations with Tibet. Ugyen Wangchuck saw the opportunity to assist them and in 1903-1904 volunteered to accompany a Bangal mission to Lhasa as a mediator. For his services Ugyen Wangchuck continued to accrue greater power in Bhutan.

The 20th Century

• Ugyen Wangchuk's emergence as the national leader coincided with the realization that the dual political system was obsolete and ineffective. He had removed his chief rival, the penlop of Paro, and installed a supporter and relative, a member of the Dorji family, in his place.
• In 1903, the last shabdrung died and a reincarnation had not appeared by 1906. Civil administration came under the control of Ugyen Wangchuk.
• In 1907, in an effort to reform the dysfunctional system, the penlops orchestrated the establishment of a Bhutanese monarchy with Ugyen Wangchuk, the penlop of Trongsa, as ruler. He was crowned on December 17, 1907. He reigned until 1926. The 54th and last Druk Desi was forced to retire.
• The Dorji family became hereditary holders of the position of gongzim (chief chamberlain), the top government post.
• In 1926, Jigme Wangchuk succeeded his father.
• In 1951, the capital was moved from Punakha to Thimphu.
• In 1952, Jigme Dorji succeeded his father and Bhutan began to emerge slowly from its isolation and begin a program of planned development.
• In 1952, the National Assembly (Tshogdu) is established.
• In 1972, Jigme Singye Wangchuk succeeded his father and ascended the throne at age 16. He emphasized modern education, decentralization of governance, the development of hydroelectricity and tourism and improvements in rural developments.
• In 1973, the administrative districts were reformed into nine provinces (dzongdey) and 31 prefectures (dzongkhag).
• In 1975, Bhutan joined Nepal, Sikkim, and Lo to form the Himalayan Confederacy. The four nations agreed to be in the same time zone: UTC +6:00.
• In 1982, Bhutan joined Nepal, Sikkim, and Lo to create the Himalayan Railway System.
• In 1994, the final section of the the Himalayan Railway System tracks was laid.

The 21st Century

• In 2006, Jigme Singye abdicated rather than wait until the promulgation of the new constitution in 2008. His son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, became raja upon his abdication.

The Wangchuk Rajas of Bhutan

Name	Succeeds	Title	Reign	Died	Notes
1) Ugyen Wankchuk		druk gyalpo	1907-1926	1926
2) Jigme Wangchuk	father	druk gyalpo	1926-1952	1952
3) Jigme Dorji Wangchuk	father	druk gyalpo	1952-1972	1972	began modernization
4) Jigme Singye Wangchuk	father	druk gyalpo	1972-2006		abdicated
5) Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk	father	druk gyalpo	2006-		son of third wife

Toponymy

Variations of the Sanskrit words Bhota-ant (end of Bhot, an Indian name for Tibet) or Bhu-uttan (highlands) have been suggested by historians as origins of the name Bhutan, which came into common foreign use in the late nineteenth century and is used in Bhutan only in English-language official correspondence. The traditional name of the country since the seventeenth century has been Drukyul, country of the Drukpa, the Dragon people, or the Land of the Thunder Dragon, a reference to the country's dominant Buddhist sect.

Government

• Bhutan is a democratic constitutional monarchy known in English as a rajadom.
• It comprises nine provinces (dzongdey), with a total of 31 prefectures (dzongkhag).
• The druk gyalpo is the head of state.
  • There is a privy council, the lodyo tshogdu, that advises the druk gyalpo on all matters pertaining to the Druk Gyalpo and the royal family.
  • The druk gyalpo appoints a learned and respected monk as the je khenpo, the chief abbot.
• There is a unicameral national assembly, the tshogdu, in which all legislative functions are vested.
  • The members of the tshogdu are chosen by direct and universal suffrage.
  • The tshogdu consists of 65 members, two from each of the provinces and three appointed by the druk gyalpo.
  • The prefectures are divided into constituencies for the purposes of local government.
• The druk gyalpo appoints a prime minister (lyongchhen).
  • The druk gyalpo appoints other ministers (lhengay) on the advice of the prime minister who shall constitute the council of ministers, the Lhengye Zhungtshog.
• The judicial system consists of a high court and prefectural courts.

Provinces

dzongdey	Capital	Area	Population	dzongkhag	Notes
Thimpu	Thimpu	8,345 km²	279,000	Thimpu (Thimpu) Paro (Paro) Haa (Ha) Samtse (Samtse) Chhukha (Chhukha)	Made capital in 1961.
Wangdi Phodrang	Wangdi	11,023 km²	38,000	Wangdi (Wangdi) Dagana (Daga) Tsirang (Damphu) Gasa (Gasa) Punakha (Punakha)
Tongsa	Tongsa	8,499 km²	88,000	Tongsa (Tongsa) Bumthang (Jakar) Sarpang (Geylegphug) Zhemgang (Zhemgang)
Mongar	Mongar	10,949 km²	66,800	Lhuentse (Lhuntshi) Trashiyangtse (Tashi Yangtse) Mongar (Mongar) Trashigang (Tashhigang) Pemagalskel (Pemagalskel) Sandrup Jongkhur (Sandrup Jongkhur)
Kameng	Bombila	13,728 km²	169,000	E. Kameng (Seppa) W. Kameng (Bombila) Tawang (Tawang)
Pemako	Along	18,518 km²	130,300	W. Siang (Along) E. Siang (Pasiqhat) Upper Siang (Yingkionk)
Subansiri	Daporijo	7,980 km²	153,000	Upper Subansiri (Daparijo) Lower Subansiri (Ziro)
Papum Pare	Itanagar	3,462 km²	122,000	Papum Pare (Yupia)
Dibang	Anini	13,029 km²	57,000	Lower Dibang (Anini) Upper Dibang (Roing)

• Thus, the total area of the rajadom is 95,533 km², slightly larger than *here's* American state of Indiana.

Geography

• Bhutan lies in the Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows, an area of 121,300 square kilometres (46,800 sq mi), extending along the north and south faces of the Himalaya Range from the Kali Gandaki Gorge in Lo eastwards through Tibet, Sikkim, Bhutan, and on into Bangal, and northernmost Myanmar.
• The alpine shrub and meadows lie between approximately 4,000 and 5,500 metres (13,000 and 18,000 ft) elevation. Permanent ice and snow lie above 5,500 metres (18,000 ft). The Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests lie below 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) along the southern slopes of the range, from Lo to Bhutan.

Borders

Bhutan is bordered by on the:

North: Tibet
East: Burma
South: Burma, Bengal
West: Sikkim.

The Rajadom of Bhutan is contiguous to *here's* Kingdom of Bhutan and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh (location), minus the districts of Anjaw, Lohit, Changlang, and Tirap.

Culture

Religion

There is freedom of religion in the Rajadom of Bhutan, although proselytism by Western religions is not encouraged.

Buddhism

Organization

• Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion of Bhutan, and Buddhists comprise 85% of the population. The majority of Bhutan's Buddhists are adherents of the Drukpa subsect of the Kargyu school, one of the five major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Although originating in Tibetan Buddhism, the Buddhism practiced in Bhutan differs significantly in its rituals, liturgy, and monastic organization. The state religion is supported financially by the government through annual subsidies to monasteries, shrines, monks, and nuns. There is a representative on the Royal Advisory Council (Lodyo Tshogdu).
• There are about 1,000 monks (lam) who belong to the Central Monastic Body in Thimphu and Punakha. Another 4,000 belong to provincial monastic bodies. The monastic community is headed by the chief abbot, the je khenpo, who is assisted by five lopons or masters, each in charge of one aspect of the religion: tradition, liturgy, lexicography, logic and training. The lonpon have under them religious administrators and junior monastic officials in charge of art, music, and other areas. Drukpa monks need not be celibate for they also include householders, which allows them to marry, raise families, and work in secular occupations while performing liturgical functions in temples and homes. There are also 18 active congregations of nuns, with about 2,500 nuns. The nuns must remain celibate.

Monasteries

• Monasteries and convents are common in Bhutan. Both monks and nuns keep their heads shaved and wear distinguishing maroon robes. Their days are spent in study and meditation but also in the performance of rituals honoring various bodhisattvas, praying for the dead, and seeking the intercession of bodhisattvas on behalf of the ill. Some of their prayers involve chants and singing accompanied by conch shell trumpets, trumpets made from human thighbones, metal horns up to three meters long, large standing drums and cymbals, hand bells, temple bells, gongs, and wooden sticks. Some of the monks are noted for their skill at throat-singing, a specialized form of chanting in which, by amplifying the voice's upper partials, the chanter can produce multiple distinct pitches simultaneously. Such monastic music and singing, not normally heard by the general public, has been reported to have "great virility" and to be more melodious than its Tibetan monotone counterparts. Common people do practice the religion in their own ways: day to day works, in their speech, in their thought and visiting the holy places and persons on holy dates. The holy dates are the 8th, 10th, 15th, 25th, 28th, and 30th day in a month in the Bhutanese calendar).

Buildings and objects

• To bring Buddhism to the people, numerous symbols and structures are employed. Religious monuments, prayer walls, prayer flags, and sacred mantras carved in stone hillsides are prevalent. Among the religious monuments are chorten, the Bhutanese version of the Indian stupa. They range from simple rectangular "house" chorten to complex edifices with ornate steps, doors, domes, and spires. Some are decorated with the Buddha's eyes that see in all directions simultaneously. These earth, brick, or stone structures commemorate deceased kings, Buddhist saints, venerable monks, and other notables, and sometimes they serve as reliquaries. Prayer walls are made of laid or piled stone and inscribed with Tantric prayers. Prayers printed with woodblocks on cloth are made into tall, narrow, colorful prayer flags, which are then mounted on long poles and placed both at holy sites and at dangerous locations to ward off demons and to benefit the spirits of the dead. To help propagate the faith, itinerant monks travel from village to village carrying portable shrines with many small doors, which open to reveal statues and images of the Buddha, bodhisattavas, and notable lamas.

Bön

• Before the introduction of Buddhism, the Bön religion was prevalent in Bhutan as it was in Tibet. Imported from Tibet and India, perhaps in the eighth century, Bön doctrine became so strongly reinvigorated by Buddhism that by the eleventh century it reasserted itself as an independent school apart from Buddhism, now practiced mainly in the Rajadom of Ladakh. Bön is no longer practiced in modern Bhutan.

Hinduism

• About nine percent of the population are Hindus, mainly Shaivites. These people live mostly in the Terai. There is a Hindu temple in Thimphu

Animism

• The remaining six percent of Bhutanese practice one of the animistic religions of the indigenous peoples. Most of these live in the western part of the rajadom.

National symbols

• National mammal 1: clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa macrosceloides)
• National mammal 2: water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
• National bird: raven (Corvus corax)
• National reptile: Brook's house gecko (Hemidactylus brookii)
• National fish: Himalayan trout (Barilius bendelisis)
• National flower: blue poppy (Meconopsis grandis)
• National tree: Himalayan cypress (Cupressus torulosa) (tseden)
• National cuisine: zow shungo
• National emblem: Within a circle a double diamond thunderbolt (dorji) above a lotus and surmounted by a jewel, all framed within two dragons.
• National dress:
  • for men: gho with kabney for formal occasions
  • for women: kira with tego and rachu
• National sport: archery
• National dance: chham (sacred mask dances)
• National instrument: dramyin

Bhutanese public holidays

Dates in italics are postponed.

Date	Name	Notes
14 February	Losar	New Year (2010 only)
21 February	The King's Birthday
28 February	Chotrul Duchen	Butter Lamp Festival (2010 only)
21 April	The King's Birthday	Father's Day
27 May	Suga Dawa Duchen	The Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment, and Parinirvana (2010 only)
21 June	Guru Rinpoche's Birthday
21 June	The Queen Mother's Birthday
15 July	Chokhor Duchen	The Buddha's First Sermon (2010 only)
21 July	The Queen Mother's Birthday	Mother's Day
24 August	Ulambana	Ancestor Day (2010 only)
23 September	Thri-bab	Blessed Rainy Day (2010 only)
17 October	Dashain	Victory of the Goddess Durga (2010 only)
29 October	Lhabab Duchen	The Buddha's Descent to Earth (2010 only))
6 November	The King's Coronation
17 December	King Ugyen Wangchuk's coronation	Independence Day