Thimphu Province
Thimphu Province(Dzongkha:ཀྲོང་གསར་;Wylie:krong-gsar) was one of the nine historicalProvinces of Bhutan.[1]
Thimphu Province occupied lands in westernBhutan,corresponding approximately to modern dayThimphu District.It was administered from theSimtokha Dzongin the town ofThimphu,and the ruling governor was known as theDzongpenofThimphu,or Thimphub.[1][2][3]: 205
History[edit]
Under Bhutan's early theocraticdual system of government,decreasingly effective central government control resulted in thede factodisintegration of the office ofShabdrungafter the death of ShabdrungNgawang Namgyalin 1651. Under this system, the Shabdrung reigned over the temporalDruk Desiand religiousJe Khenpo.Two successor Shabdrungs – the son (1651) and stepbrother (1680) of Ngawang Namgyal – were effectively controlled by the Druk Desi and Je Khenpo until power was further splintered through the innovation of multiple Shabdrung incarnations, reflecting speech, mind, and body. Increasingly secular regional lords (penlopsand dzongpons) competed for power amid a backdrop of civil war over the Shabdrung and invasions fromTibet,and theMongol Empire.[4]The penlops ofTrongsaandParo,and the dzongpons ofPunakha,Thimphu,andWangdue Phodrangwere particularly notable figures in the competition for regional dominance.[4][5]During this period, there were a total of nine provinces and eightpenlopsvying for power.[6]
Traditionally, Bhutan comprised nine provinces:Trongsa,Paro,Punakha,Wangdue Phodrang,Daga(also Taka, Tarka, or Taga),Bumthang,Thimphu,Kurtoed(also Kurtoi, Kuru-tod), andKurmaed(or Kurme, Kuru-mad). The Provinces of Kurtoed and Kurmaed were combined into one local administration, leaving the traditional number of governors at eight. While some lords werePenlops,others held the titleDzongpen(Dzongkha:རྗོང་དཔོན་;Wylie:rjong-dpon;also "Jongpen," "Dzongpön" ); both titles may be translated as "governor."[1]
The 10thPenlop of TrongsaJigme Namgyel(r.1853–1870) began consolidating power, paving the way for his son the 12th Penlop of Trongsa (and 21st Penlop of Paro)Ugyen Wangchuckto prevail in battle against all rivalpenlopsand establishthe monarchyin 1907. With the establishment of the monarchy and consolidation of power, the traditional roles of provinces, their rulers, and thedual system of governmentcame to an end.[7][8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abcMadan, P. L. (2004).Tibet, Saga of Indian Explorers (1864–1894).Manohar Publishers & Distributors. pp. 77et seq.ISBN81-7304-567-4.Retrieved2011-08-14.
- ^
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:White, J. Claude (1909).Sikhim & Bhutan: Twenty-One Years on the North-East Frontier, 1887–1908.New York: Longmans, Green & Co. pp. 11, 272–3, 301–10.Retrieved2010-12-25.
- ^Dorji, C. T. (1994). "Appendix III".History of Bhutan based on Buddhism.Sangay Xam, Prominent Publishers. p. 200.ISBN81-86239-01-4.Retrieved2011-08-12.
- ^abOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Worden, Robert L. (September 1991). Savada, Andrea Matles (ed.).Bhutan: A Country Study.Federal Research Division.Administrative Integration and Conflict with Tibet, 1651–1728.
- ^One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Worden, Robert L. (September 1991). Savada, Andrea Matles (ed.).Bhutan: A Country Study.Federal Research Division.Civil Conflict, 1728–72.
- ^Zetland (Marquis of), Lawrence John Lumley Dundas; Ronaldsha, E.; Asian Educational Services (2000).Lands of the Thunderbolt: Sikhim, Chumbi & Bhutan.Asian Educational Services. p. 204.ISBN81-206-1504-2.Retrieved2011-08-10.
- ^Padma-gliṅ-pa (Gter-ston); Harding, Sarah (2003). Harding, Sarah (ed.).The life and revelations of Pema Lingpa.Snow Lion Publications. p. 24.ISBN1-55939-194-4.Retrieved2011-08-10.
- ^Brown, Lindsay; Mayhew, Bradley; Armington, Stan; Whitecross, Richard W. (2007).Bhutan.Lonely Planet Country Guides (3 ed.).Lonely Planet.pp. 38–43.ISBN978-1-74059-529-2.Retrieved2011-08-09.