The Historical Origin of the State of Bhutan
The founding of a centralized state in Bhutan was the
outcome of an unresolved dispute between competing
candidates for recognition as head of the ’Brug-pa sect in
Tibet. But at another level it was also a dispute over
competing theories of government. From the time of gTsangpa
rGya-ras (1161-1211) until the 14th Ra-lung hierarch
rGyal-dbang Kun-dga’ dPal-’byor (1428-1476), the ’Brug-pa
sect had been centered at ’Brug and Ra-lung monasteries
under the control of a single family, a branch of the ancient
rGya clan.vii Although Ra-lung was one of the major family
religious establishments (gdan-sa) in central Tibet, at one
time granted the control of some 1,900 tax-paying estates by
the emperor Yesün Temür, it never achieved the formal status
of a myriarchy (khri-skor) within the Mongol classification,
and much of its erstwhile political authority fell away by 1360,
allegedly out of the abbots’ disinterest in secular affairs.viii
In the early 17th century, however, the sect was split in two by
a great court dispute that in today’s terms could be called a
‘constitutional question’: “Who had the mandate to provide
continued leadership of the sect and control its material
patrimony, the descendants of gTsang-pa rGya-ras or his
reincarnations?” The first such reincarnation, called rGyaldbang
’Brug-chen, was Kun-dga’ dPal-’byor (1428-1476), a
scion of the rGya hierarchs of Ra-lung. But the next two
rebirths ’Jam-dbyangs Chos-kyi-grags-pa (1478-1523) and
Padma-dkar-po (1527-1592) did not belong to the rGya family,
13
which declined to invest either of them with control of ’Brug
or Ra-lung monasteries. The two candidates for recognition as
the rebirth of Padma-dkar-po were Zhabs-drung Ngag-dbang
rNam-rgyal (1594-1651), a scion of the family who had
already been installed as Ra-lung hierarch, and dPag-bsam
dBang-po (1593-1641) who was a bastard son of the
powerful ’Phyongs-rgyas myriarch. After several years of lowlevel
skirmishing, the dispute came to a head over possession
of the so-called “self-created” (rang-byon) Kharsapāni image of
Avalokiteśvara said to have emerged miraculously from the
cremated remains of gTsang-pa rGya-ras. The entire ’Brug-pa
community believed in the prophetic power of this image,
which had been used to certify Padma-dkar-po’s status as the
legitimate rebirth of ’Jam-dbyangs Chos-kyi-grags-pa and was
expected to identify his successor.ix
The whole matter was brought before the court of the regional
strongman at bSam-grub-rtse, gTsang sDe-srid bsTanbsrungs-
pa (d.1611?) and his successor Phun-tshogs rNamrgyal
(1597-1621?). Both seem to have been offended by the
Zhabs-drung’s brusque behavior, and were heavily lobbied by
supporters of his opponent led by his tutor Lha-rtse-ba Ngagdbang
bZang-po (1546-1615). When the court required the
Zhabs-drung to surrender the image he refused to do so, out
of family pride and certain that it would be used in a
politically contrived stunt to reject his position. In 1616 he
decided to take refuge with his patrons in what is now the
state of Bhutan, bringing the prophetic image with him.x
The Founding of the State of Bhutan
Before the 17th century, western Bhutan consisted of a small
number of agricultural communities, basically independent of
any higher civil authority but given to ever-changing factional
alliances and feuds over various issues, including sectarian
allegiance. With some variation, the social patterns were
similar in central and eastern Bhutan. However the
predominant religion there was Nyingmapa Buddhism, with
the exception of Merak in the far east which was allied to the
Gelugpa monasteries of Tibet. The ’Brug-pa were predominant
in western Bhutan, where more than a dozen branch
monasteries of Ra-lung predated 1600, and strong marital
alliances between the rGya family of Ra-lung and local valley
chiefs had been forged during the 14th century.xi
From his new headquarters, the Zhabs-drung exchanged a
series of highly challenging letters with the young Sde-pa
Gtsang-pa Phun-tshogs rNam-rgyal, denouncing his enemies
and their claim to the sacred image.xii In what must be one of
the most openly aired cases of monastic infighting over a
contested rebirth, he laid out a detailed account of his
opponents’ alleged forgery, sectarian corruption, threats,
bribery and nepotism. Then, in a tone of conciliation, he
offered to terminate the black magic rites he had been aiming
at the gTsang court since the time of the former sDe-pa
bsTan-bsrungs-pa, if the two men could now come to a
mutual agreement. But this did not happen. Instead, in 1618
Phun-tshogs rNam-rgyal launched an army into Bhutan.
However, the Zhabs-drung won this battle by relying upon
sorcery and the support of Bhutanese village militias. With
this victory and several later ones over combined Tibetan and
Mongol forces, the Zhabs-drung established his reputation
among the local chiefs and in Tibet as a tough-minded leader
and powerful magus (mthu-chen) able to rouse the local deities
to his defense.xiii
The Zhabs-drung’s original intent, the evidence suggests, was
to win his court case and return to Tibet. But by 1623, with
the dispute still unresolved, an alternate plan was needed.
The Zhabs-drung entered a three-year retreat to consider his
future, in a cave north of Thimphu.xiv As he later explained to
attendants, one option was to follow the path of such former
saints as Mi-la-ras-pa and Lo-ras-pa, wandering and
meditating in obscurity as lonely mountain hermits. The
second was to follow the path taken by the Sakya
hierarch ’Phags-pa to found a new religious state.xv Prophetic
convinced him that he should found a new religious state
15
ruled according to the Tibetan tradition of uniting religion
and secular government in a single administrative apparatus,
the so-called ‘two-fold system’ (lugs gnyis). During the
eleventh month of the Wood-Ox year (1625/26), he emerged
from the cave and announced his decision to establish a new
government in the country then known as “Southern Mon
Land of Four Doors” (Lho-Mon Kha-bzhi)
Source : Bhutan Studies
The founding of a centralized state in Bhutan was the
outcome of an unresolved dispute between competing
candidates for recognition as head of the ’Brug-pa sect in
Tibet. But at another level it was also a dispute over
competing theories of government. From the time of gTsangpa
rGya-ras (1161-1211) until the 14th Ra-lung hierarch
rGyal-dbang Kun-dga’ dPal-’byor (1428-1476), the ’Brug-pa
sect had been centered at ’Brug and Ra-lung monasteries
under the control of a single family, a branch of the ancient
rGya clan.vii Although Ra-lung was one of the major family
religious establishments (gdan-sa) in central Tibet, at one
time granted the control of some 1,900 tax-paying estates by
the emperor Yesün Temür, it never achieved the formal status
of a myriarchy (khri-skor) within the Mongol classification,
and much of its erstwhile political authority fell away by 1360,
allegedly out of the abbots’ disinterest in secular affairs.viii
In the early 17th century, however, the sect was split in two by
a great court dispute that in today’s terms could be called a
‘constitutional question’: “Who had the mandate to provide
continued leadership of the sect and control its material
patrimony, the descendants of gTsang-pa rGya-ras or his
reincarnations?” The first such reincarnation, called rGyaldbang
’Brug-chen, was Kun-dga’ dPal-’byor (1428-1476), a
scion of the rGya hierarchs of Ra-lung. But the next two
rebirths ’Jam-dbyangs Chos-kyi-grags-pa (1478-1523) and
Padma-dkar-po (1527-1592) did not belong to the rGya family,
13
which declined to invest either of them with control of ’Brug
or Ra-lung monasteries. The two candidates for recognition as
the rebirth of Padma-dkar-po were Zhabs-drung Ngag-dbang
rNam-rgyal (1594-1651), a scion of the family who had
already been installed as Ra-lung hierarch, and dPag-bsam
dBang-po (1593-1641) who was a bastard son of the
powerful ’Phyongs-rgyas myriarch. After several years of lowlevel
skirmishing, the dispute came to a head over possession
of the so-called “self-created” (rang-byon) Kharsapāni image of
Avalokiteśvara said to have emerged miraculously from the
cremated remains of gTsang-pa rGya-ras. The entire ’Brug-pa
community believed in the prophetic power of this image,
which had been used to certify Padma-dkar-po’s status as the
legitimate rebirth of ’Jam-dbyangs Chos-kyi-grags-pa and was
expected to identify his successor.ix
The whole matter was brought before the court of the regional
strongman at bSam-grub-rtse, gTsang sDe-srid bsTanbsrungs-
pa (d.1611?) and his successor Phun-tshogs rNamrgyal
(1597-1621?). Both seem to have been offended by the
Zhabs-drung’s brusque behavior, and were heavily lobbied by
supporters of his opponent led by his tutor Lha-rtse-ba Ngagdbang
bZang-po (1546-1615). When the court required the
Zhabs-drung to surrender the image he refused to do so, out
of family pride and certain that it would be used in a
politically contrived stunt to reject his position. In 1616 he
decided to take refuge with his patrons in what is now the
state of Bhutan, bringing the prophetic image with him.x
The Founding of the State of Bhutan
Before the 17th century, western Bhutan consisted of a small
number of agricultural communities, basically independent of
any higher civil authority but given to ever-changing factional
alliances and feuds over various issues, including sectarian
allegiance. With some variation, the social patterns were
similar in central and eastern Bhutan. However the
predominant religion there was Nyingmapa Buddhism, with
the exception of Merak in the far east which was allied to the
Gelugpa monasteries of Tibet. The ’Brug-pa were predominant
in western Bhutan, where more than a dozen branch
monasteries of Ra-lung predated 1600, and strong marital
alliances between the rGya family of Ra-lung and local valley
chiefs had been forged during the 14th century.xi
From his new headquarters, the Zhabs-drung exchanged a
series of highly challenging letters with the young Sde-pa
Gtsang-pa Phun-tshogs rNam-rgyal, denouncing his enemies
and their claim to the sacred image.xii In what must be one of
the most openly aired cases of monastic infighting over a
contested rebirth, he laid out a detailed account of his
opponents’ alleged forgery, sectarian corruption, threats,
bribery and nepotism. Then, in a tone of conciliation, he
offered to terminate the black magic rites he had been aiming
at the gTsang court since the time of the former sDe-pa
bsTan-bsrungs-pa, if the two men could now come to a
mutual agreement. But this did not happen. Instead, in 1618
Phun-tshogs rNam-rgyal launched an army into Bhutan.
However, the Zhabs-drung won this battle by relying upon
sorcery and the support of Bhutanese village militias. With
this victory and several later ones over combined Tibetan and
Mongol forces, the Zhabs-drung established his reputation
among the local chiefs and in Tibet as a tough-minded leader
and powerful magus (mthu-chen) able to rouse the local deities
to his defense.xiii
The Zhabs-drung’s original intent, the evidence suggests, was
to win his court case and return to Tibet. But by 1623, with
the dispute still unresolved, an alternate plan was needed.
The Zhabs-drung entered a three-year retreat to consider his
future, in a cave north of Thimphu.xiv As he later explained to
attendants, one option was to follow the path of such former
saints as Mi-la-ras-pa and Lo-ras-pa, wandering and
meditating in obscurity as lonely mountain hermits. The
second was to follow the path taken by the Sakya
hierarch ’Phags-pa to found a new religious state.xv Prophetic
guidance from the sacred image of Avalokiteśvara and dream
encounters with his deceased father bsTan-pa’i-nyi-ma bothconvinced him that he should found a new religious state
15
ruled according to the Tibetan tradition of uniting religion
and secular government in a single administrative apparatus,
the so-called ‘two-fold system’ (lugs gnyis). During the
eleventh month of the Wood-Ox year (1625/26), he emerged
from the cave and announced his decision to establish a new
government in the country then known as “Southern Mon
Land of Four Doors” (Lho-Mon Kha-bzhi)
Source : Bhutan Studies
