History

It is believed Bhutan was inhabited as early as 2000 BC, based on early stone implements found in the region.

The country was originally known by many names, including Lho Jong, the Valleys of the South; Lho Mon Kha Shi, the Southern Mon Country of Four Approaches; Lho Jong Men Jong, the Southern Valleys of Medicinal Herbs; and Lho Mon Tsenden Jong, the Southern Mon Valleys where Sandalwood Grows. Mon was a term used by Tibetans for the non-Buddhist peoples of the southern Himalayas.

The country came to be known as Druk Yul, the Land of the Drukpas, some time in the seventeenth century, after the Drukpa sect of Buddhism that has been dominant since.

Bonism was the dominant religion before Buddhism, which was introduced in the seventh century by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo and strengthened by the arrival of Guru Rinpoche, widely considered the Second Buddha.

The country was first unified in the seventeenth century by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. After arriving from Tibet he consolidated his power, defeated three Tibetan invasions and established a comprehensive system of law and governance. His system eroded after his death and the country fell into civil war between local rulers. This continued until the Trongsa Penlop, Ugyen Wangchuck, gained control and, with the support of the people, was established as Bhutan's first hereditary King in 1907. He became the first Druk Gyalpo and founded the Wangchuck dynasty that rules today.

In 2008 Bhutan enacted its Constitution and converted to a democracy to better safeguard the rights of its citizens. In November of the same year the fifth Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, was crowned.