Rajadom of Bhutan

History

Origins and early settlemeny

• 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 9th 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, showing that some time in the past a significant migration of Tibetans across the Himalayan passes created 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 that was then beyond the pale of Buddhist teachings.
• 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 credence and 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 or 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 Duars, 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 its believers. As the country developed in its many fertile valleys, Buddhism matured and became a unifying element. It was Buddhist literature and chronicles that began the recorded history of Bhutan.
• In 747, a Buddhist saint, 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 Tibet, 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.

• 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.
• This religious change, however, did not change the social scene until the early 1660s, 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 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.
  • A dual system of government was also established by his hand, wherey the control of the government was shared between a spiritual leader, the Je Khempo, and an administrative leader, the Desi Druk. This system has continued to this day in a largely unmodified form.
• Bhutan is one of the only countries which has been independent throughout its history, never conquered, occupied, or governed by an outside power.
• The consolidation of Bhutan occurred in 1616 when Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, a lama from Tibet, defeated three Tibetan invasions, subjugated rival religious schools, codified an intricate and comprehensive system of law, and established himself as ruler (Shabdrung) over a system of ecclesiastical and civil administrators. After his death, infighting and civil war eroded the power of the shabdrung for the next 200 years until in 1885, Ugyen Wangchuck was able to consolidate power.
  • In 1907, he was elected as the hereditary ruler of Bhutan, crowned on December 17, 1907, and installed as the head of state Druk Gyalpo the Dragon King.
• In 1952, he was succeeded by his son Jigme Dorji Wangchuck and Bhutan began to emerge slowly from its isolation and begin a program of planned development.
• In 1972, Jigme Singye Wanchuck ascended the throne at age 16. He emphasized modern education, decentralization of governance, the development of hydroelectricity and tourism and improvements in rural developments.
• He abdicated in December 2006 rather than wait until the promulgation of the new constitution in 2008. His son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, became rajah upon his abdication.

Geography

Borders

North: Tibet.
West: Nepál.
South: Ban̊gál.
Southeast: Burma.

Toponymy

Variations of the Sanskrit words Bhota-ant (end of Bhot, an Indian name for Tibet) or Bhu-uttan (meaning 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.

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 India's Arunachal Pradesh state, 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: Bangal
South: Bangal
West: Bangal, Sikkim.

Culture

National symbols

• National mammal 1: clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa macrosceloides)
• National mammal 2: takin (Budorcas taxicolor)
• National bird: raven (Corvus corax)
• National reptile: Brook's house gecko (Hemidactylus brookii)
• National fish: Himilayan trout (Barilius bendelisis)
• National flower: blue poppy (Meconopsis grandis)
• National tree: Himalayan cypress (Cupressus torulosa)
• National gem:
• National flag:
• National language: dzongkha
• National nickname:
• National seal:
• National motto:
• National song:
• National spirit:
• National individual sport: archery
• National team sport:
• National dance:
• National day: December 17, accession of King Wangchuck in 1907