Bhutan

The most notable history of Bhutan can be dated back to the early 8th century when Guru Padmasambhava — or Guru Rinpoche as Bhutanese refer to him today — visited central Bhutan for the first time on the invitation of Sindhu Raja in 810 AD. One can definitely say that Bhutan before the 8th century was uncarved. After his visit to central Bhutan (Bumthang Kurjay) and showing miracle by subjugation of local deity Shelging Karpo with his manifestation of Garuda, the seed of Buddhism was first implanted by Guru Padmasambhava in Bhutan.

Later on, during his second visit he started visiting more places towards the eastern and western side of Bhutan and began his journey of sanctifying the country through meditation and subjugation of deities, transforming them into protectors of his Dharma. The most notable example can be Tiger’s Nest (Taktsang) where he subdues the local deity Singay Samdrup and placed him as the protector of the region, discovering one of his wrathful forms riding on the tigress. After this event, Guru Padmasambhava is said to have flown towards Tibet.

After that until the 12th century, many Buddhist masters came and visited holy sites and returned to their origin places. It was in the 12th century when a destined Buddhist master named Phojo Drugom Zhipo visited with the intention of establishing the very first school of Drukpa Kayu in Bhutan and fulfill his master Tshangpa Gayray’s prophecy.

Regarding the Drukpa Kayu — it is the primary religion Bhutan follows and the people of Bhutan are also called Drukpa, and the country as Druk Yul which means “the land of the thunder dragon.” Maybe it can be a perfect question to ask the guide — why is your country called the land of the thunder dragon?

After a struggleful series of events, Phojo Drugom Zhipo was successful in establishing the schools of Drukpa Kayu and it would be spread by his children in later periods to come. Some of his established Drukpa Kayu schools are Tango and Cheri Monastery, Phajoding and Changangkha Monastery where newly born children are brought to receive the blessing from the local deity there.

However, Bhutan just remained as a flourishing place for Buddhism throughout the centuries to come but was never able to establish itself as a recognized nation for its people. This is where the importance of the 16th century comes in — there is a saying “nothing happens by accident,” whatever happens is destined to occur with or without you, just like you reading this and planning to travel with us.

Quite a political brew was stirring in eastern Tibet during the start of the 16th century over the recognition for the reincarnation of master Kuenkhen Pema Karpo. Having deep faith in reincarnation for enlightened masters, being selected as the true reincarnation meant not just getting your hands on his predecessor’s sacred possessions but getting access and authority in that region and beyond the borders by gaining followers.

It was during that political brew that the formation of a country known as Druk Yul was beginning indirectly. The conflict was between Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal who was recognized as the reincarnation by the religious body and Tshang Desi — a political lord who also presented his nomination of reincarnation. The dilemma of choosing a successor and unwillingness of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to surrender the claim made Tshang Desi rage and plan to assassinate him. Knowing this, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal self-imposed an exile towards the south of Tibet which led him to come to Bhutan in 1616.

In response to the threat that was lingering in Tibet over his escape, he very well knew that he could not just blend with people in the south and stay the rest of his life. So he sought the spiritual guidance of his Yidam (deity) and started the journey of unifying the land, people, and the spiritual deities. During the process of unifying, he built fortresses, created a mandatory language, made a cultural change of dress — Gho for men and Kira for women — and surprisingly, even the system of constitution we follow now with the dual system was established by him.

In the late 1640s, the entire nation was unified under one ruler — Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal as the head of political and religion. This is how a nation called Druk Yul was born under the care and guidance of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Beyond this, let’s leave it to our certified cultural guide to tell you if you wish to know more.