Bhutan – from the Zhabdrung's unification to a constitutional monarchy
Buddhism reached the Himalayan valleys of Bhutan early, and tradition links its spread to the eighth-century master Padmasambhava, revered as Guru Rinpoche. For centuries the region was divided among local rulers and rival religious schools, and many of its temples date from this long formative period.
In the seventeenth century the Tibetan lama Ngawang Namgyal, known as the Zhabdrung, came to Bhutan and united the country under the Drukpa school. He built the characteristic dzongs – fortress-monasteries that combined religious and administrative power – and established a dual system of spiritual and secular government. After his death, however, the country went through long periods of internal rivalry.
In the nineteenth century conflict with British India led to the loss of the southern duars. In 1907 Ugyen Wangchuck was chosen as the first hereditary king, founding the Wangchuck dynasty that still reigns. Bhutan kept its independence, remained largely closed to the outside world for decades and opened up only cautiously in the second half of the twentieth century, joining the United Nations in 1971. The kings promoted modernisation and the idea of Gross National Happiness, and in 2008 Bhutan adopted a constitution and held its first parliamentary elections, becoming a constitutional monarchy.
Today Bhutan is shaped by Buddhist tradition, the careful protection of its nature and a deliberate balance between heritage and modern life.
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