THE HEREDITARY MONARCHY

 The early Bhutan History is shrouded in mystery. As per the old Tibetan chronologies Bhutan was called Mon-Yul. It means that the Monpas, the original inhabitants of the Himalayas had settled. There are many schools of thoughts on the theory and origin of the name of Bhutan. Most appropriate appears to be one based on the Sanskrit word "Bhotaant" which refers to the location of Bhutan at the end of Tibet (Bhot means Tibet and aant means the end). According to the ancient accounts, Bhutan remained under the tutelage of the Kingdom of Kamrupa till the seventh century. Upon the death of Bhaskaravarman Bhutan split into numerous independent petty kingdoms.

Guru Padmasambhava, a monk from Nalanda visited Bhutan around 747 AD and introduced Buddhism. He is known as the Great Precious teacher of Guru Rimpoche in Bhutan. Bhutan has faced numerous intrigues and conflicts in its political history. When various Buddhist sects competed to establish religious and political authority and influence, anarchy and religious strife prevailed. 

A number of internal rivalry and chaotic phase finally weakened the central authority and local units strengthened under Penlops. The emergence of Tongsa and Paro Penlops became the determining factors in the elimination of the theocratic political structure in Bhutan. According to A.C. Sinha, for the highlander Bhutanese, "the Duar was an office to be explored". Frequent raids to collect consumer articles, animals, properties and even human beings were carried out in the Duar areas to meet their requirements. Human beings were used as slaves for agriculture and other manual jobs. With the repeated repression, raids and killings, Bhutan and the British fought a war, which separated the Duars from Bhutan under the Treaty of Sinchula, 1865. This invited economic recession and further weakening the central rule. Tongsa Penlop then emerged as the powerful man with the support of the British. On December 17, 1907, Governor Ugyen Wangchuk of Tongsa province effaced the Shabdrung's institution and established hereditary monarchy in Bhutan. The initial stage of the monarchy witnessed multiple struggles between the forces of modernization and traditionalists. The British support was the paramount to take the appropriate course. Upon the support from the British the King could initiate his vision towards leading the country for consolidation and development. 

THE SUCCESSIVE MONARCHS

First king

Ugyen Wangchuck

 King Ugyen Wangchuk, Bhutan's first hereditary king was born in 1962 to Jigme Namgyel, the Tongsa Penlop. His father belonged to the Dungkar Chhoeje dynasty, and his mother Ashi Pema Chhoekey came from Byagar Dung lineage. The first King Sir Ugyen Wangchuk (1907–26) consolidated the country and the national hereditary monarchy, which brought the country into closer association of friendship with the British Government. He was clear in his vision and had realized the growth of Chinese influence in Tibet posed a potential threat to Bhutan. To neutralize this, he felt inevitable to develop better relations with the British Government. Further he thought it expedient to revise the Sinchula Treaty. A new Anglo-Bhutanese treaty was thus signed on 8th January 1910.

                               Second king

                          Jijme Wangchuck

 The second King, Jigme Wangchuk (1926-52) was born in 1905. He is remembered in the history of Bhutan as a visionary who began to forsake the policy of isolation. Two British botanists visited Bhutan during his tenure and in 1947 Bhutan participated in the Asian Relations Conference held in NewDelhi. In 1948, a Bhutanese delegation visited India to discuss Bhutan's relations with independent India, as a fall out of which, the two countries signed the Indo-Bhutan Perpetual Friendship Treaty on 8th August 1949 at Darjeeling. This helped in further consolidation of the country.

Third King

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck         

The third King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk (1952-72) regarded as the "Fatherof the Nation" was born in Thuepang Palace at Tongsa in 1928. Soon after the accession to the throne in 1952, he introduced land reforms and placed land ceiling on larger holdings. Distributed lands to the people and imposed equal land revenue. He abolished slavery and serfdom and the capital punishment. He established the Tshogdu (National Assembly) in 1953, initiated Five Year plans since 1961, inducted Bhutan to the Colombo Plan in 1962, became a member to the Universal Postal Union in 1969 and in 1971 acquired full-fleged membership to the United Nations as a independent and sovereign state. In the domestic front realizing the political changes taking place globally introduced "Vote of Confidence over the King". In the event the two-third members of the national assembly vote out the King the next heir would be enthroned. In 1968 the Lhengyel Tshok (Council of ministers) was formed and in 1969 the Lodoi Tshogde (Royal Advisory Council). He then introduced a system of electing Minister every five years. In 1968 he separated the judiciary from the executive by establishing the Thrimkong Gongma, High Court. 

It appears that the reasons behind all the above reforms have been prompted by the dissidents' struggle for better living conditions and political reforms. The Bhutan State Congress (BSC) under the leadership of Mahasur Basnet (Chhetri) was founded in 17th January 1948 at his residence at Sarbhang Bhutan. The BSC soon became popular among the southern people. In relation to the growing popularity of Mahasur, he was arrested on 27th February in 1952 at 10 A.M. in Sarbhang and was pushed into a leather bag and thrown in the Sunkosh River on 7th March 1952. The leader of the first political party met inhuman death. However, the spirit and aspiration of the people could not be crushed by the regime. Accordingly on 4th November 1952, the BSC was re-organized under the leadership of D.B.Gurung. In 1953 a delegation of the BSC left for New Delhi and met the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The Indian PM having understood the plight of the Bhutanese Nepalis in particular requested the Bhutanese King to address the situation. However, nothing constructive appeared in the scene. Therefore, in March 1954, the BSC launched 'Satyagraha' at Sarbhang Bhutan. Jullendra Pradhan ordered to open fire at the satyagrahis and dispersed them. Some were arrested while others fled away. The BSC continued its peaceful activities, which compelled the king Jigme Dorji Wangchuk to grant amnesty to all the activists and allow them to return to their original homesteads under the Royal Notification issued on 6th August 1969. D.B.Gurung, President; D.B.Khadka (Chhetri, General Secretary and other activists returned to Bhutan while Ganesh Prasad Prasai, General Secretary and around 150 households stayed in Indian states of Assam and West Bengal. 

Amidst internal disturbances, the first head of the foreign government, Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India visited Bhutan in September 1958. He said at Paro that " Some might think that since India is a great and powerful country and Bhutan a small one, the former might wish to exercise pressure on Bhutan. It is therefore, essential that I make it clear to you that our only wish is that you should remain an independent country, choosing your own way of life and taking the path of progress, according to your will."   The architect of Bhutan passed away on 22nd July 1972 at Nairobi. The body was flown to Bhutan and was embalmed and kept for 89 days and cremated on 28th October 1972 at Kurje.

Fourth king 

Jigme Singye Wangchuck

 The fourth hereditary King or the present King Jigme Singye Wangchuk was born in Dechhenchholing Palace, Thimphu on 11th November 1955.  He was enthroned on 2nd June 1972 to the Golden Throne of Bhutan at the tender age of 18. Soon, the vested traditional and conservative interest groups of the palace coterie began to backtrack the reforms, thrusting Bhutan into political regression. In October 1973, the "vote of confidence" on the King was waived off and election of ministers was done away with. The result of all these contributed to the re-establishment of the Royal Absolutism in Bhutan. In the international front in 1973 Bhutan became a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and is the founder member of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation.

 His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck is the reigning monarch and head of Bhutanese Royal Family. He received modern education in India and the United Kingdom. He returned to the Ugyen Wangchuck Academy in Paro, Bhutan in 1970. However, he could not complete his school education due to the sudden death of his father. He became king on 23 July 1972 at the age of 17. His official   coronation was held on June 02, 1974.

In 1979 His Majesty King Jime Singye Wangchuck married four sisters - Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck, Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck and Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck as queens. An official royal wedding and a public ceremony was held on 31 October 1988. They have five princes and five princesses. 

 Forth King with four queens

From the left:

Her Majesty Ashi Tshering Yangdön Wangchuck,

Her Majesty Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck, His Majesty the King,

Her Majesty Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck and

Her Majesty Ashi Sangay Choden Wanghcuk.  

Forth King Jime Singye Wangchuck also carried forward the socio-economic progress of the country initiated by his father. Bhutan has made tremendous progress in the filed of communications, hydro-electric power development, education, health, financial sector, environmental protection, and industrial and infrastructural development during his reign.

Bhutan became the member of. ESCAP in 1972, NAM in 1973, IFAD, IMF, IBRD, IDA and FAO in 1981, WHO, UNESCO and ADB in 1982, UNIDO in 1983, ITU in 1988, ICAO in 1989, ECOSOC in 1992.  Under his reign, Bhutan established diplomatic relations with Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, EEC, Norway and Netherlands Kuwait, Japan, Finland,  South Korea, Austria, Thailand, Bahrain, Hongkong, Singapore, Macaw, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

It is pertinent to state here that Bhutan has witnessed the worst annihilation in its political history during the reign of the fourth hereditary monarch. Various draconian policies have been forcefully enacted and implemented onto the people on racist lines. The eastern Bhutan still suffers from continued poverty, injustice and discrimination while the south Bhutan is totally devastated and the demographic pattern is by lands belonging to the refugees, languishing since one decade in eastern Nepal, to non-Nepali community. Today, The Druk Gyalpo or the King of Bhutan is the summit of the political system with full-fledged authority over the governance of the state.  In the Himalayan kingdom as far as the internal machinery of the Government is concerned, king is the fountain-head of the executive power and externally the exclusive symbol of the state. Again the Druk Gyalpo is not only the chief of state but also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the highest Court of Appeal and the wielder of commanding influence in matters of religious and spiritual.

 Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck,

Fifth King  

Royal family members. 

 The Forth King has four sisters as follows:  

H.R.H. Princess Ashi Sonam Choden Wangchuck, (born 26 July 1953).

H.R.H. Princess  Ashi Dechen Wangmo Wangchuck, (born. 8 Sept,1954).

H.R.H. Princess  Ashi Pem Pem Wangchuck, (born. 12 March 1959).

H.R.H. Princess  Ashi Kesang Wangmo Wangchuck, (born. 11 May 1961). 

In 1979, Forth King married four daughters of  Yab Ugen Dorji and Yum Thuiji Zam  by a public ceremony on 31 October 1988.  The names of Their Majesties the Queens and Royal children are as follows:  

1. First Queen

           Her Majesty Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck

               Her childrens:

1.     HRH Princess Ashi Sonam Dechen (born on  5 August 1981).

2.     HRH Prince Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuk ( born on 6 July1984).

2. Second Queen

         Her Majesty Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck

               Her children :

1.     HRH Princess Ashi  Chimi Yamgzam,  daughter  ( born on  10^th January 1980.

2.     HRH Princess Ashi Kesang Choden, daughter (born on. 23^rd January 1982)

3.     HRH Prince Dasho Ugyen Jigme Wangchuk, son (born on .1994) 

4. Third Queen

      Her Majesty Ashi Tshering Yangdön Wangchuck  

                  Her children :

1.     HRH  Dasho Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, Crown Prince,  born on 21/2/1980).  (He M Phil in Politics at Magdalen  College, Oxford, UK in 2003). 

2.     HRH Princess Ashi Dechen Yangzam, daughter (born on . 2^nd  December 1981)

3.     HRH Prince Dasho Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, son (born on .14^th April 1986 )

4. Forth Queen

               Her Majesty Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck

         Her children :

1.     HRH Prince Dasho Khamsum Singhye Wangchuk, son (born on 6th October 1985).

2.     HRH Princess Ashi Euphelma Choden Wangchuk, daughter (born on 1993)