For a country which is blessed with sublime and majestic surroundings so close to the heavens, it is not surprising that the history of Bhutan has long been entwined with religion, holy men and mystics.

Evidence suggests that the region was first inhabited before 1000 BC, but there is no conclusive evidence about where they came from. No recorded history exists about that era and the period up to the first few centuries of the first millennium, but it is believed by some that the Himalayan region was initially ruled by myriads of kingdoms, and the inhabitants were following shamanistic religious practices (called Bon) which worshipped nature and deities, and believed in good and evil spirits of the past, present and future. In the 7th century, Bhutan began to adopt Buddhism when a Tibetan king brought it into the country. As Buddhism and its temples spread, this religion became the force that unified the country and its holy men became part of the ruling elite. Since then, Buddhism in Bhutan was influenced partly by some of the practices of Bon, and by Buddhist thinking in Tibet and India, sometimes involving rivalry among the different sects. It was one of these sects which pioneered the dzongs (fortified fortresses), presumably because sometime the spiritual rivalry turned bloody.

Meanwhile, politically, Bhutan came under the rule of the Tibetan-Mongol kingdom from the 11th century for several hundred years.

In 1616 AD, a monk from Tibet, Ngawang Namgyal, who belonged to the Drupka sect (which was different from that of the Dalai Lama) came to Bhutan, subdued the other sects, expelled the Tibetan occupiers, turned back several Tibetan invasions and built a network of dzongs to consolidate his power. He eventually became the leader of a united Bhutan.

During his rule, he created a system of dual civil and spiritual rule, and established laws based on Buddhist religious codes governing social and moral behaviours. He was regarded as the first great leader of the country and when he died in 1651, his death was kept secret for 50 years by proclaiming that he was in a spiritual retreat, in an effort to keep the country united. During this period, the country was ruled by regents, but in time, internal struggle for power arose, and wars were fought with Sikkim and Tibet. Bhutan managed to hold its grounds in these conflicts and even expanded its territories in northwestern Bengal, until the British appeared in the scene in 1772.

Relationship between Bhutan and Britain was not good, fuelled by British ambitions and efforts to wrestle from Bhutan territories it held in Assam and Bengal. Thus, the British replaced Tibet as the main threat to Bhutan. In 1864, Bhutan was defeated by the British after the latter’s offer of a “friendship treaty” was rejected, and as a result Bhutan lost territories it occupied in Assam and Bengal.

Among the chaos, a local ruler, Ugyen Wangchuck, rose among its rivals and reunited the country around 1890. From then on, he decided to side with the British in the geopolitical struggle among the British, Tibetans, Chinese and Russians for influence. For his efforts to mediate between the British and the Tibetans in 1904, he gained the confidence and respect of the British, which helped him to consolidate his power.

By 1907, Bhutan’s dual system of shared civil and spiritual rule was viewed as being out-dated, and an assembly of the ruling officials, families and Buddhist monks decided to elect Ugyen Wangchuck as the first hereditary absolute monarch (or Druk Gyalpo – Dragon King). In 1910, British and Bhutan signed a treaty which effectively made Bhutan a protectorate of Britain. Under this treaty, Britain would not meddle in Bhutan’s internal affairs, would guarantee its security against China and would “guide” its external affairs. After India became independent in 1947, it became the new protector of Bhutan and did not recognise the latter’s independence until two years later. The Wangchuck family has remained the rulers of the country up to the present.