History of Bhutan
The
history of Bhutan:
Archeological finds suggest the mountain valleys of
Bhutan have been inhabited for several thousand years. The Bhutanese believe the
Lhopu (a small tribe in southwest Bhutan who speak a
Tibeto-Burman language) to be the
aboriginal inhabitants of the country, who were subsequently displaced by the arrival of
Tibetans of
Mongolian descent. Others consider the identification too narrow, and suggest that various other tribes represent the aboriginal peoples. The
Ngalop, the ethnic group that comprises the majority of the population concentrated in the central and western valleys, are clearly related to the
Tibetans to the north, sharing physical, linguistic, and cultural traits, indicating that at some unknown time in the past a significant migration of Tibetans arrived over the
Himalayan mountain passes to establish the base of the present population.
Padmasambhava, also known as
Guru Rimpoche, is usually credited with bringing
Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan, but two rare sites representing an earlier influence predate him.
Kyichu in
Paro and
Jambey in
Bumthang where built in
659 AD, a century or so ahead before Guru Rimpoche's arrival, by the quasi-legendary King of Tibet
Songtsen Gampo.
In the
8th century the
Indian Guru
Padmasambhava arrived in Bhutan, bringing
Tantric Buddhism (which would evolve into
Tibetan Buddhism over the next 400 years). He establishing a number of temples and monasteries, including the famous
Taktshang monastery built high on a cliff face above the
Paro valley and
Kurjey Lhakhang in
Bumthang.
Until the early 1600s, Bhutan existed as a patchwork of minor warring
fiefdoms until unified by the Tibetan
lama and military leader
Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Escaping political foes in Tibet he arrived in Bhutan in
1616 and initiated a program of fortification and military consolidation, overseeing the construction of impressive
dzongs or fortresses such as
Simtokha Dzong which guards the entrance to
Thimphu valley. An insightful leader, he used cultural symbols as well as military force to establish a Bhutanese national identity, including the initiation of a number of sacred dances to be performed in the annual
tsechu festivals.
The Shabdrung also established the dual system of government by which control of the country was shared between a spiritual leader (the
Je Khempo) and an administrative leader (the
Desi Druk), a polity which exists in modified form to this day.
After the Shabdrung's death, infighting and civil war eroded the power of the shabdrung for the next 200 years until
1885, when the Penlop of
Trongsa,
Ugyen Wangchuck gained an upper hand over rival forces and sought to cultivated ties with the British in India.
Although subject to periodic
Tibetan invasions from the north, Bhutan has retained continuous autonomy since its founding by the Shabdrung. In the early 1700s, the Bhutanese invaded the kingdom of
Cooch Behar to the south, placing it under Bhutanese suzerainty. In
1772 the Cooch Behari appealed to the
British East India Company who joined with the Behari in driving the Bhutanese out and attacking Bhutan itself in
1774. A peace treaty was concluded in which Bhutan pulled back to its pre-1730 borders. The peace was not to hold, however, and border conflicts with the
British were to continue for the next hundred years including the
Duar War (
1864-
1865), fought over control of the
Bengal Duars.
The 1870s and 1880s were marked by civil war between the rival power centers of
Paro and
Trongsa valleys. In
1885 Ugyen Wangchuck, the
penlop (governor) of Trongsa, gained control of the country and ended the civil war, aided by support from the British (the penlop of Paro being aligned with the Tibetans).
Under British influence a
monarchy was formally established on
December 17th,
1907 with Ugyen Wangchuck as the
First King of Bhutan. This day is celebrated in today as
National Day of Bhutan. Three years later a treaty was signed whereby the country became a British protectorate. The monarchy initially had to work to gain legitimacy against the machinations of their opponents who promoted the reincarnation of the
Shabdrung as the rightful ruler of Bhutan. The issue came to a head in
1931 when the Shabdrung made an appeal to
Mahatma Gandhi to terminate the Wangchuck dynasty, after which the Shabdrung was assassinated by pro-royalty agents.
Surprisingly, the 3rd and 4th kings of Bhutan both promoted the elimination of their own absolute powers over the objections of the National Assembly. Beginning in
1969 and lasting until his death in
1972, the
Third King of Bhutan ended his veto power over the National Assembly. Upon his untimely death, the national assembly gave back the veto power to the king's son, now the
Fourth King of Bhutan, who later followed in his father's noble footsteps by convincing the assembly in
1998 to again formally end the absolute veto power of the king, teaching that it was better for the future of the country that his powers be circumscribed by theirs.In December 2005 the present 4th king announced publicly that he will abdicate in 2008 to coincide with the first national election and introduction of Bhutan's new constitution. He will be succeeded by his son the 5th king of Bhutan who will be 28 years old then. The present king also announced the retirement age of the kings as 60 years and intends to endorse it in the new constitution of Bhutan much against the public outcry.
Under the direction of Bhutan's third king,
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Bhutan adopted a policy of gradual exposure to the outside world. Bhutan gained
United Nations recognition as a sovereign country in
1971.
Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the present and fourth king in the line, ascended to the throne in
1972 at age 17 upon the death of his father. His coronation in June
1974 was the occasion for inviting a select number of diplomats and guests from around the world to the isolated kingdom, marking the beginning of regular (if modest) interaction with outside visitors.
The fourth king has since shown great skill in steering his country towards 21st century
modernity while preserving the distinctive Bhutanese cultural with its roots in the 17th century. He is best known in the West for his goal of seeking the highest
Gross National Happiness for his country, rather than the more conventional
Gross National Product.
On
March 26 2005, "an auspicious day when the stars and elements converge favourably to create an environment of harmony and success"[
1], the king and government distribute a draft of the country's first Constitution, requesting that every citizen review it. A new house of parliament, the National Council, is chartered consisting of 20 elected representatives from each of the dzonghags along with 5 distinguished persons selected by the King. The National Council would be paired with the other already existing house, the National Assembly.
Per the Constitution, the monarchy is given a leadership role in setting the direction for the government as long as the King shall demonstrate his commitment and ability to safeguard the interests of the kingdom and its people.
Chinese incursion of November 2005
On Sunday
November 13, 2005 soldiers of the
People's Republic of China crossed into Bhutan at several points, marching as far as 20 kilometers into the interior and entering a number of districts including
Haa,
Paro,
Wangdi Phodrang, and
Bumthang. They erected a number of bridges and roads. Later Chinese diplomats would dismiss the objections of the Bhutanese government, claiming the roads were merely "being built as part of the economic development programmes for western China". [
2]. The presence of Chinese military personnel on Bhutanese land is a chilling reminder of the maps issued by China in
1961 claiming portions of Bhutan as Chinese territory[
3]. The 6,000 man
Royal Bhutan Army is no match for the 2,250,0000 man
Peoples Liberation Army, so Bhutan must rely on world opinion and the
Indian Army for protection.
Assamese separatists
Several guerilla groups seeking to establish an independent Assamese state in northeast
India have set up guerilla bases in the forests of southern Bhutan from which they launch cross-border attacks on targets in Assam. The largest guerilla group is ULFA (
United Liberation Front of Asom). Negotiations aimed at removing them peacefully from these bases failed in the spring of
2003. Bhutan is faced with the prospect of having to strengthen its token army force to obtain an eviction of the guerillas.
Military action against Assamese separatists December 2003
On
15 December 2003 the
Royal Bhutan Army began military operations against guerilla camps in southern Bhutan, in coordination with Indian armed forces who lined the border to the south to prevent the guerillas from dispersing back into Assam. News sources indicated that of the 30 camps that were target, 13 were controlled by ULFA, 12 camps by the
National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), and 5 camps controlled by the
Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO)[
4]. By January, government news reports indicated the guerillas had been routed from their bases.
Ethnic Nepalese refugees
In 1988 Bhutan was reported to have evicted over 100,000 Nepali-speaking residents (other reports say 40,000) from districts in southern Bhutan, creating a large refugee community that is now being detained in seven temporary United Nations refugee camps in Nepal and Sikkim. The actual numbers are difficult to establish, as many of those in the camps are reported to be holding forged identity papers. After years of negotiations between Nepal and Bhutan, in
2000 Bhutan agreed in principle to allow certain classes of the refugees to return to Bhutan. However none has yet been allowed to do so. Significant unrest is now reported to be fomenting in the camps, especially as the United Nations terminates a number of educational and welfare programmes in an effort to force Bhutan and Nepal to come to terms.
Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist)
The UN refugee camps appear to be have been the spawning grounds of the new
Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist), the BCP (MLM), which announced itself in April 2003 and called for an overthrow of the monarchy, and perhaps to establish a 'people's war' similar to the nearby
Nepalese People's War. A related organization, the Bhutanese Revolutionary Students Union (BRSU), has claimed responsibility for the September
2001 assassination in India of R K Budhathoki, the exiled founder of the
Bhutan People's Party, a rival anti-monarchy group. These organizantions are mostly made up of ethnic Nepali.
*
History of Bhutan, from Keys to Bhutan, History in brief, Prehistory, Introduction of Buddhism, The Age of the Shabdrung, etc...
*
History of Bhutan, from the 1997 Vienna exhibition sponsored by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education*
Press release by the Bhutan Communist Party*
Profile of Bhutanese Kings*
History of Bhutan - Offers a history of Bhutan from the 9th Century to the present.
*
Rulers.org â€" Bhutan List of rulers for Bhutan
*
History of Asia*
History of present-day nations and states.
*
History of South Asia*
Kings of Bhutan
