Abstract
A sovereign kingdom in the Himalayas, Bhutan was governed by a spiritual ruler and a temporal ruler—the Dharma and Deb Raja—from the 17th century. The interior was organized into districts controlled by governors and fort commanders. These officials formed the electoral council appointing the Deb Raja. During the 19th century civil wars were fought between district governors for the office of the Deb Raja. The election became a formality and the governors of Tongsa and Paro were the most frequently chosen because they were the strongest. In 1863 a British attempt to bring stability to Bhutan led to war on the frontier with India.
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Further Reading
Crossette, B., So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas. New York, 1995
Das, B. N., Mission to Bhutan: a Nation in Transition. New Delhi, 1995
Hutt, M., Bhutan: Perspectives on Conflict and Dissent. London, 1994
Parmanand, Parashar, The Politics of Bhutan: Retrospect and Prospect. Pragati Publications, New Delhi, 2002
Savada, A.M. (ed.) Nepal and Bhutan: Country Studies. Washington, D.C., 1993
Sinha, A. C., Bhutan: Ethnic Identity and National Dilemma. New Delhi, 1998
National Statistical Office:. Central Statistical Organization, Thimphu.
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© 2007 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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Turner, B. (2007). Bhutan. In: Turner, B. (eds) The Statesman’s Yearbook 2008. The Statesman’s Yearbook. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-74024-6_129
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-74024-6_129
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-4039-9277-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-74024-6
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