The age of Ngawang Namgyal

The person who had the greatest impact on the history of Bhutan was Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651). Zhabdrung Rinpoche meaning “the precious jewel at whose feet one submits”, as he is reverently referred to, was both a great spiritual personality and statesman and leader of exceptional ability, as well as a great architect and builder. He crushed several foreign aggressions and in the process set up a chain of sturdy monastery-fortress called dzong’s, which became centers of stability of the country by establishing a strong and dynamic administrative system and by codifying a set of strict but fair and just laws of such enduring values that have formed the framework for the present judicial system of Bhutan.

The dual system of administration that Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal established, whereby a spiritual leader after the clergy and a temporal rule looked after the affairs of state, endured until the establishment of hereditary monarchy in 1907.