Colette's Grand Detour

Bhutan’s pre-7th century history is not very well-documented and no written records survive. The area that would become Bhutan was a mosaic of isolated highland valleys inhabited by small communities practicing animist (Bon) and shamanic religions, and worshipped mountain, river and forest deities. These communities were part of the broader Tibeto-Burman cultural sphere that extended across eastern Tibet, Arunachal Pradesh in India and northern Myanmar. Bhutan’s geography with steep valleys, separated by high mountains, meant that no single centralised kingdom existed. Communities developed independently resulting in broad cultural diversity.

By the 6th century Buddhist influence began to arrive through monks and traders travelling from Tibet and India, but it was not organised or widespread. The land was still viewed by outsiders as a mystical and dangerous ‘frontier of spirits’. The proper introduction of Buddhism into Bhutan is traditionally attributed to Songtsen Gampo, the Tibetan king who ruled in the early 7th century and decided to build 108 temples across the Himalayas to subdue a demoness lying over Tibet and its borderlands and consolidate Buddhism across the mountain range. Two of these temples were built in Bhutan; Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro Valley and Jambay Lhakhang in Bumthang Valley. These temples represent Bhutan’s initial connection to the Tibetan Buddhist world.

A century later, Buddhism deepened its roots in Bhutan with the arrival of Guru Padmasambhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche), who is still revered across Bhutan today. He was invited to Tibet by the King to subdue hostile spirits that were hindering the construction of Samye Monastery. After his work in Tibet, he travelled south into Bhutan to bless the land and convert local deities. There are many legends about this Guru, including that it is said he flew to the location of Tiger’s Nest monastery on the back of a tigress, meditated in the cliffside cave, subdued the valley’s spirits and transformed Paro into a holy site. The famous monastery that now clings to the cliff in the location was built much later in the 17th century.

Guru Rinpoche transformed Bhutan’s spiritual geography and established the foundations of Nyingma school, the earliest form of Tibetan Buddhism. When the Durkpa Kagyu school was established in the 17th century and unified the country, the spiritual lineage of this school can be traced back to him.

After Guru Rinpoche’s time, Buddhist monasteries began to appear across Bhutan and a pilgrimage culture grew, with devotees visiting caves and rocks marked by Guru’s presence. Bon traditions gradually merged with Buddhism, producing a unique Bhutanese cosmology, where local spirits, mountain gods and Buddhist deities coexisted.

During the persecution of Buddhism in Tibet in the 9th century many monks fled south into Bhutan, bringing with them scriptures and teachings. During this period, Bhutan entered centuries of political fragmentation. Monastic communities and regional rulers governed separate valleys, and rival Buddhist sects such as Nyingma, Kagyu and Drukpa Kagyu established monasteries and competed for followers and power. During this time Bhutan’s isolation deepened and few external powers could penetrate its mountainous terrain.

In 17th century Tibet, a Drukpa Kagyu lama called Ngawang Namgyal, from Tibet, was recognised as the reincarnation of Kunkhyen Pema Karpo, a greater master of the Durkpa Kagyu lineage, however a rival group with the same school promoted another boy as the reincarnation, leading to a fierce dispute, The powerful Tsangpa rulers of Tibet sided with the rival and threatened Namgyal’s life. To escape persecution, he fled south across the Himalayas and sought refuge in Bhutan. Local Bhutanese lamas and chieftains initially welcomed him as a teacher but soon realised his ambition and leadership skills.

He successfully unified the valleys of Bhutan under a centralised authority for the first time and established Drukpa Kagyu as Bhutan’s state religion. His vision created a dual system of government that included a Druk Desi (a ruler) and Je Khenpo (a chief abbot for religious affairs). Ngawang Namgyal built the great fortress-monasteries that still stand today across Bhutan and is credited as the founder of Bhutan as a nation. He achieved this through a blend of spiritual authority, political strategy and military strength. He proclaimed Bhutan to be the true home of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition calling it Druk Yul or ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’ and declared himself the Zhabdrung Rinpoche which means ‘At whose feet one submits’. And he established a monastic administration that integration religion with state functions.

Between 1619 and 1640, Tibet launched multiple invasions to subdue Bhutan and capture Ngawang Namgyal. The Bhutanese forces repelled these invasions , a combination of clever defensive tactics and difficult mountain terrain. This served to strengthen Bhutan’s national identity and independence from Tibet. This is also the period when significant legal reforms were established, with Bhutan’s first legal code. And distinctive Bhutanese art, dress and architecture and festivals were encouraged.

After Ngawang Namgyal’s death in 1651, Bhutan entered a prolonged period of internal rivalry that lasted around 250 years. Namgyal’s death was actually kept secret for more than 50 years, for fear that revealing it would unleash chaos among rival leaders. Officials continued to govern in his name and claimed he was in ‘deep meditation’.

Power struggles arose, the dual system of governance weakened and civil wars periodically erupted. Bhutan also engaged in fighting with both Tibet and British India at this time. Bhutan fought with Tibet from 1680-84, when the fifth Dalai Lama attempted to reassert control over Bhutan, ending in the Treaty of Sinchula, which established stable borders and reaffirmed Bhutan’s independence. The Duars War from 1864-65 with the British East India company led to Bhutan’s defeat and the cession of the Duars region, an area of fertile plains in the Himalayan foothills for an annual subsidy.

In the early 20th century, the Wangchuck dynasty emerged and united the country after decades of strife. Bhutan’s first hereditary king, Ugyen Wangchuck was elected by an assembly of monastic and lay leaders in 1907, marking the abolition of the theocratic dual system and establishing Bhutan as a hereditary monarchy with the capital in Punakha. King Jigme Wangchuck became the second king of Bhutan in 1926 and maintained the country’s isolation, but began modest reforms including taxation and legal codes.

King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck became the country’s third king and is known as the ‘Father of Modern Bhutan’, initiating sweeping modernization. He abolished slavery and serfdom, created the National Assembly, opened the country’s first schools and hospitals and established formal diplomatic relations with India. Bhutan was admitted to the United Nations in 1971. The fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck took over in 1972 and introduced the guiding philosophy of Gross National Happiness, emphasizing holistic development over material wealth. He decentralised governance to empower local districts, established a national education system and initiated constitutional reform towards democracy. At this time environmental conservation and cultural preservation became constitutional pillars.

The current king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel came to power in 2006, and has overseen Bhutan’s transition to a constitutional monarchy with democratic elections and a new constitution. He has continued to focus on sustainable development, education, and regional diplomacy, with the goal of modernization whilst maintain the country’s Buddhist cultural heritage.