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Centenary Celebrations in 2008 |
100 Years of Monarchy
 The year 2007 marked 100 years of Monarchy in Bhutan. But as the year 2007 was a very inauspicious year according to the Bhutanese calendar, the celebration of 100 years of Monarchy and Coronation of the Fifth King of Bhutan is being held in 2008. The year 2008 is being marked with many festivals and celebrations throughout the year to celebrate this momentous occasion. To mark the centenary celebration a Royal Heritage Trek has been developed from Bumthang (Central Bhutan) to Kuenga Rabten in Trongsa (Western Bhutan). Royal Palaces across the country is being opened and a Royal Heritage site will be maintained. Sports and food festivals will be organized throughout the country during the year. There will be several days of festivals in the capital, Thimphu and Punakha or Bumthang where people will showcase their products. Tourists will not be a mere bystanders but participants in the festivals. The Department of Tourism is also opening up the Manas National Park and Merak Sakten to international visitors. Visitors to the Kingdom in 2008 will be given a unique opportunity to experience the real Bhutan through the Centenary maxim of “Meet the Bhutanese”. Visitors will be given the chance to immerse themselves into the soul of Bhutan with the opening of areas normally closed to tourists, and the development of specialty tour programs.
For those yet to discover the Magical Kingdom, 2008 presents the perfect opportunity!
Kings of Bhutan
The Kings of Bhutan have taken the country and its people into the 21st century, transforming a subsistence farming society into a modern nation. Bhutanese people are now on the path to democracy, a revolutionary move initiated from the throne. But monarchy remains the soul of the Bhutanese nation and will continue to be a vital institution in a rapidly changing society. The Kings of Bhutan are known for their selflessness, dynamism, farsightedness and love for their people. The institution of monarchy has attained its highest level. The King is the primary symbol of national unity and peace and harmony. As history would stand a witness, the establishment of monarchy was a play of destiny. Bhutan would have never survived as an independent nation without the Monarchy.
Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck(1907-1926).
 It was under the first King, Ugyen Wangchuck, that for the first time since the end of the 17th century, the people enjoyed peace and tranquility, free from internal strife and external invasion. King Ugyen Wangchuck had been instrumental in maintaining friendly relations and peace with the neighbouring countries while harmony and unity were established within the country. He took various measures for the development of the country and well-being of the people. He took steps to improve transport and communication. Internal trace and commerce was encouraged and reduced land taxes and ‘Woola’ customary service to the state for the welfare of the common people. Realizing that one major setback of the development of the country was the ignorance of the people, King Ugyen Wangchuck introduced the modern system of education in the country. He further invited Buddhist monks and learned Buddhist scholars to the country to improve the standard of monastic education and further spread Buddhism. He instituted the further training of monks in Tibet. Many of them returned as scholars and contributed greatly to the improvement of monastic education in the country. During his rule, many new temples and monasteries were built in different parts of the country and many old monasteries were renovated. King Ugyen Wangchuck proved to be a great diplomat. Despite Bhutan’s inexperience in modern politics, he gained the confidence and friendship of British India. After nineteen years of peaceful reign, King Ugyen Wangchuck was succeeded by his son Jigme Wangchuck, as the second hereditary King of Bhutan in 1926.
Druk Gyalpo Jigme Wangchuck (1926-1952)
 During the reign of the second King Jigme Wangchuck, the country took its first steps towards modernization by sponsoring a programme of education and training of the Bhutanese abroad. He also built schools, dispensaries and roads, sent many Bhutanese abroad to be trained in both traditional and western medicine. He also took keen interest in reforming the government structures and in establishing a highly centralized administration which at that time was essential to maintain a fair and just society. He also succeeded in transporting Bhutan’s friendship policy from British India to independent India and signed the Indo-Bhutan Treaty of 1949. He initiated land reforms and reduced taxes to ease hardships of the people.
Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck(1952-1972)
 The third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck further instituted far-reaching political, social and economic reforms. He reduced the land taxes, granted tax exemptions to the poorer sections of the population. He also launched a systematic effort to abolish the practice of slavery and serfdom which had prevailed since the 17th Century to grant freedom to the serfs without antagonizing their landlords. At the same time, the traditional rights of the landlords were fully protected. All those who wished to leave their masters were required to settle themselves in areas away from their old gewogs where the government had granted them land.
King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck is also known as the "Father of the Modern Bhutan", for introducing the process of modernization by starting planned development process, instituting a modern form of governance. During his reign, he separated the powers of the various branches of the government, established the National Assembly (Parliament) in 1953 and the High Court in 1968; appointed the Royal Advisory Council in 1965 and Cabinet in 1968. He also strengthened the Indo-Bhutan friendship, which became a backbone for Bhutan’s evolution as a stable modern nation of the 20th Century. He also enhanced the Kingdom's global role, making Bhutan a member of the United Nations in 1971 and other international organizations. King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck’s philosophy and approach have been clearly established and recognized, enhancing the country’s identity and role in the international community.
Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck (1972-2006)
 After the death of King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, his son Jigme Singye Wangchuck ascended to the throne at the age of 16 in 1972, making him the youngest monarch in the world. While far reaching initiatives have been undertaken by successive monarchs to strengthen the Kingdom’s political and legal institutions and establish an effective democratic framework. However, it was under the visionary leadership of the Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, that Bhutan witnessed unprecedented development. From a self-contained traditional rural society where people cultivated as much as needed, bred animals, wove their own cloth and made pottery and used mules, engaged in barter trading system, used yaks and horses as principle mode of transport, Bhutan has been transformed into a modern nation state in less than four decades with network of roads and communication facilities, free education, provision of modern health and sanitation, safe drinking water services and electricity, proper system of administration and modern trading economy with growing regional and global ties. From a poor state of economy in the 1960s, the country now boasts of the one of the highest GDP Per Capita in South Asia.
Since his accession to the throne, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck continued the reform and democratization process. The first hint of democracy was made during his coronation address to the nation in 1974 when he stated, ‘the future of the country lies in the hands of the people.’ Hence, democracy was the cornerstone of his entire reign (1972 – 2006) and the political developments that took place since his accession were all targeted at empowering his subjects and enhancing their participation in nation-building. During his reign, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck dedicated himself to defining and realizing a long-term vision and direction for the country. He set up a system of government tuned to the political, social and development needs of the country. The functions of the states were clearly defined and divided among the various branches of the government. He further pursued a process of democratization and decentralization, and hence encouraged the involvement of the people in their own affairs at all levels - from the national to the community level. The step-by-step devolution of power to the people began with the establishment of District Development Council in 1981 (DYT) and Block Development Council (GYT) in 1991.Through an unprecedented Royal Edict, he called for greater people’s participation in the decision making process and devolved full executive authority to an elected Council of Ministers. The old Cabinet was dissolved and the National Assembly elected six new Cabinet Ministers through secret ballot. In keeping with the Royal Edict, the National Assembly also adopted a mechanism to register a vote of confidence in His Majesty the King. The 77th session of the National Assembly in July 1999 further debated and endorsed the mechanism for a vote of confidence in the King.
In November 2001 the drafting of the first Written Constitution for the country was initiated based on the principles of democracy with the separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers. Following its release in March, 2005, the Fourth King and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince held nationwide consultations with the people on the contents of the constitution. The constitution will be officially adopted in 2008 ushering in a two party democracy after 100 years of monarchy.
Under leadership of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Bhutan also began to play a more active part in international organizations, such as the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, SAARC and BIMSTEC. It also established a number of bilateral diplomatic relations, thus gradually expanding its role in international affairs. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck has carefully nurtured Bhutan’s socio-economic and political development that seeks to promote not just equitable material progress but gives equal emphasis to environmental and cultural preservation and good governance. With this holistic approach, the Fourth King has contributed a development lexicon that is gaining increasing international recognition: Gross National Happiness (GNH). His Majesty’s philosophy and approach have been clearly established and recognized, enhancing the country’s identity and role in the international community. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, is highly revered as a visionary leader who has worked selflessly for the development of his country.
Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (2006 - Present)
 Following the early retirement of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, on 9 December 2006 at the age of 51, his son, the 26 year old, HRH Trongsa Penlop Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck took over the country as the Fifth Hereditary Monarch of the Kingdom of Bhutan. To be formally enthroned in spring 2008, at the age of 28, the fifth Druk Gyalpo is a confident figure. For today’s generation of Bhutanese, who are a part of the historic evolution that is taking place, he personifies the excitement of a new era in Bhutan. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck takes up the reins of governance after completing his education at home and abroad. After attending high school in Bhutan, he graduated from the Crushing Academy and Wheaton College in the United States, and attended Magdalen College at Oxford University-where he completed the Foreign Service Programme and earned on M. Phil. in Politics. His Majesty then attended the National Defence College in New Delhi, India. His Majesty grew up in a traditional Bhutanese environment, attending the court of his father, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. This exposure to the traditions and disciplines of the royal household, the rich religious and cultural heritage of Bhutan, and other realities in the Kingdom are considered his most valuable instructions as a Crown Prince.
From an early age, His Majesty traveled extensively around the country. He attended the government’s development plan meetings-chaired by the Fourth King in every district and, during 2005 and 2006, conducted nation wide public discussions on the draft Constitution. During these meetings, His Majesty met people from the most remote parts of the Kingdom and gained insight into their lives, their problems, and their aspirations. He also developed a close rapport with Bhutanese youth around the country. He was closely associated with the Scouts Association of Bhutan and, as an avid sportsman, took part in archery and basketball tournaments with students and other young Bhutanese. Further, he has also reached out to the youth through a variety of media activities organized by the volunteer group, Kuzoo.
Through his regular contact with youth, His Majesty came to understand many aspects of Bhutan’s emerging social problems, particularly those affecting young people. He has expressed his concerns about school drop-outs, drug and rural-urban migration. He opened Bhutan’s first juvenile rehabilitation complex in Tsimalakha in 1999 and, in 2004, became the Chancellor of the Royal University of Bhutan.
His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck has, even as a Crown Prince, won love and admiration of people in and outside Bhutan. His profound love and care for people, especially the youths, have earned him epithets like ‘Prince of Hearts’ and ‘People’s King’. The young king, therefore, is seen as a legacy of enlightened leadership and a symbol of a future filled with hopes and promises.
As Bhutan navigates a period of unprecedented transition, His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck outlined the priorities of his reign is his first address to the nation, it was clear that continuity will be Bhutan’s strength: “Henceforth, our responsibilities will always be first and foremost the peace and tranquility of the nation, the sovereignty of Gross National Happiness, and the strengthening of this new gained insight into their lives, their problems, and their aspirations.”
The people of Bhutan are confident and optimistic that the country will continue to witness unprecedented progress and prosperity under the new leadership of His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 23 May 2008 )
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