History & Geography of Bhutan

Brief History of Bhutan

The ancient past of Bhutan is shrouded in mystery due to important historical accounts having fallen victim to numerous fires and earthquakes. The archaeological remnants of stone walls, weapons, and stone structures, though, suggest that the land was inhabited as far back as 2000 BC.

To the people, however, (and also according to the mythology and oral history) the history begins in the period of the 7th century AD, the time when the Tibetan King, Songsten Gampo built two of the very first monumental Buddhist Temples: Kyichu and Jambay Lhakhang introducing Buddhism for the very first time.

Buddhism in Bhutan

Come 8th century AD, Buddhism became widespread with the coming of Padmasambhava, revered in Bhutan as Guru Rinpoche and the Second Buddha. Guru founded the Nyingmapa sect – the offshoot of Mahayana Buddhism and was the most dominant religion around that time. He is said to have converted the locals by subduing eight classes of demons and by also converting the local king himself.

History also has it that Guru Rinpoche graced his presence at the iconic Tiger’s Nest (Taktshang) on the back of a flying tigress. The objective being, to subdue the demons coming in the way of his mission (spread of Buddhism).

Nowadays, thousands gather in the sites where he meditated, passed his sermons, and these places that marked his presence are considered important pilgrimage sites. Many of these you can visit on our Trans Bhutan Trail itineraries.

Though Buddhism made progress, well until the early 17th century Bhutan was all but in a state of anarchy. There was no central authority, no dominant religion; the country was divided into small warring fiefdoms each ruled by their warlords, presumably, practicing different religions or a different twist on the same religion.

Buddha Dordenma in Thimphu, Bhutan
Punakha Dzong

The Arrival of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel

The Bhutan that we see now is much owing to Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, though it would not be accurate to deem it entirely as a work of a single man for the groundworks were laid centuries ago when Guru introduced Buddhism. Guru is also said to have predicted the arrival of Zhabdrung and the founding of the country.

Ngawang Namgyel arrived in Bhutan in the 16th century from Ralung, Tibet to escape from religious persecution and is of Drukpa Kagyu School, the state religion of contemporary Bhutan. The night before his journey, he’d had a dream in which he followed a large raven southward and arrived at an unknown place. The raven was understood to be his tutelary deity, the Raven-headed Mahakala. Upon setting foot in the land, was received by Lamas and chieftains from the Gasa Region.

Ngawang Namgyel successfully fended off the Tibetan invaders, subjugated rival religious schools, promulgated a code of law, and established himself as a supreme ruler. Along with this, he built chains of Dzongs (fortress) throughout the land. These impregnable fortresses became central to religious and civil authority.However, for Zhabdrung it was not merely about controlling or extending the territories but also about political unity and achieving a unique national identity

He instituted the Dual system of Government (Choesid Nyiden) wherein Je Khenpo handled the religious affairs and Druk Desi, the civil affairs. It had its setbacks like with every political system but nonetheless was a significant development in the unification and stability of the country.

Death of Zhabdrung

With the demise of Zhabdrung in 1651, once again, the country fell into turmoil for a period of about 200 years. The death was initially kept secret for fifty-four years – having come to light only in 1705 – in hopes of avoiding agitation but the efforts were in vain. At first, the Desis’ resumed control of the state as the supposed rulers, but these Desis too gradually started losing their dominance over to Poenlops (Provincial governor). Inevitably, the country was divided into semi-independent regions each headed by its own Penlops. Penlop, perhaps, can be likened to the Daimyo of Japan. Like Daimyos, these Penlops are masters of their own domain and are only a step below Desi, similar to the Daimyo-Shogun dynamic. Yet, there were some Daimyos who were equally or sometimes even more powerful than Shogun. In this manner, the same could be said with Penlops and Desis. Some Penlops, especially, that of Trongsa and Paro, exercised more authority compared to Desis.

Rising Hostilities

It was around that time when the activities around the Duar also started increasing and also when Bhutan first came into contact with the British East India Company. Bhutanese forces had successfully taken control of Cooch Behar and so the Raja of the state sought aid from BEIC and they successfully drove out the Bhutanese. Later the British attacked themselves of their own accord. A peace treaty was signed between the two but this didn’t prove effective as the raids on the border resumed (for some hundred years) eventually leading to the Duar War resulting in Bhutan's loss. After the whole event, the Treaty of Sinchula was signed marking the end of all hostilities between the two Nations.

In the 1870s, civil wars broke out, in large, owing to the clash between Paro and Trongsa Valley. After a series of bloodshed, and power struggles Ugyen Wangchuck, then the Trongsa Penlop emerged victorious and put an end to all of the internal strifes.

In 1907, representatives from monk bodies, heads of important families, and government officials came together and elected Ugyen Wangchuk, the Druk Gyalpo (dragon king) of Bhutan. This was the beginning of the Wangchuck dynasty.

In 1910, the Treaty of Punakha was signed between Ugyen Wangchuck and the British which ensured that the latter would not interfere in the internal affairs of Bhutan provided the king accepted their advice concerning external matters.

The Treaty of Peace and Friendship

Ugyen Wangchuk’s son Jigme Wangchuck acceded to the throne at the age of 22. During his reign, India was freed from the British dominion, and in recognition of each other’s independence, a treaty between the two nations was signed – the Treaty of Peace and Friendship. Similar to the previous one, India was not to interfere in Bhutan’s affairs but would guide their foreign policy. Modern development foundations were to be laid.

With the succession of Jigme Dorji Wangchuk to the throne, the country slowly started opening its doors to the outside world and would usher in a modern era. Development of new modern roads, health institutions, and modern education was put into effect.

Government institutions were also reformed. The National Assembly, The Royal Bhutanese Army, and The Royal Court of Justice were established. Bhutan joined the Universal Postal Union and later also became a member of the United Nations in 1971.

In the 1870s, civil wars broke out, in large, owing to the clash between Paro and Trongsa Valley. After a series of bloodshed, and power struggles Ugyen Wangchuck, then the Trongsa Penlop emerged victorious and put an end to all of the internal strifes.

In 1907, representatives from monk bodies, heads of important families, and government officials came together and elected Ugyen Wangchuk, the Druk Gyalpo (dragon king) of Bhutan. This was the beginning of the Wangchuck dynasty.

In 1910, the Treaty of Punakha was signed between Ugyen Wangchuck and the British which ensured that the latter would not interfere in the internal affairs of Bhutan provided the king accepted their advice concerning external matters.

Gross National Happiness is introduced

At the age of 16, Jigme Singye Wangchuck took over his father’s position. The Fourth Druk Gyalpo followed in the footsteps of his predecessors in modernizing the country while equally taking into account the preservation of traditions and culture.

His main area of focus was education, decentralization of power, rural development, the generation of hydroelectricity, and the development of the tourism sector.

Overseas, he is known best for conceiving and putting into practice the concept of ‘Gross National Happiness.’ GNH, at heart, is a development philosophy that takes into account the well-being of a person from a non-economic perspective as well.

With Jigme Singye Wangchuck’s abdication in favor of his son on December 15, 2006, the crown prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk rose to the throne becoming the Fifth and the current Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan.

Bhutanese children in Bhutan

Geography of Bhutan

Bhutan is sandwiched between the two giants of Asia – China and India and is situated, specifically, on the slopes of the eastern part of the Himalayas encompassing an area of 38,394 square kilometers. It lies between 26′ 45’N & 280″ 10’N, and longitudes 88′ 45′E & 92′ 10’E and 93E and is six hours ahead of GMT.

Physically, Bhutan can be divided into three lateral zones: The Great Himalaya, the Inner Himalaya, and the Southern Foothills.

The country is administratively divided into 20 districts (Dzongkhags) and 205 village blocks (Gewogs). These gewogs are further divided into multiple municipalities (thromdes).

The capital of the country is Thimphu.

Communities

The geographical make-up of the country, that is, chiefly deep valleys and steep mountains led to the scattered and sporadic form of settlements. For this reason, as small as the country is (although not as small as people assume it to be), there are still quite a number of local indigenous communities with their own unique dialects, traditions, and culture. But among all, three ethnic groups stand out: Sharchops ( of Indo-Mongloid origin; aboriginals), Ngalops (of Tibetan origin), and the Lhotsampas (of Nepalese origin). They make up the majority of the Bhutanese population.

Local Bhutanese communities
Mask dances in Bhutan

Language

The national Khakey or the official language of Bhutan is Dzongkha. However owing to the development of numerous indigenous communities due to geographical restraints, different types of dialects and languages are spoken throughout the land. There are as many as 20 different languages in Bhutan. Among them, again, the languages spoken in the three dominant groups – Sharchop, Ngalop, and the Lhotsampa, are Sharchop Kha, Ngalop Kha and Nepali. On our Bhutan itineraries we encourage you to practice the local dialect especially when staying in homestays or enjoying traditional lunches with your hosts.

English has also been emphasized as a medium of instruction. Classes in schools are conducted in English and so it is generally understood by the majority of the population, especially, the urban residents.