Ugyen Wangchuck
Ugyen Wangchuck ཨོ་རྒྱན་དབང་ཕྱུག | |
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Wangchuck | |
Father | Jigme Namgyal |
Mother | Ashi Pema Choki |
Religion | Buddhism |
Gongsar
Kings of the Wangchuck dynasty | ||||||||||
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Life
Embattled boyhood and rise to power
Ugyen Wangchuck was born in Wangdicholing Palace, Jakar, Bumthang in 1862. His father, Jigme Namgyal, was the Druk Desi of Bhutan at the time and he was apprenticed at the court of his father in the art of leadership and warfare at a very young age. Because he grew up in an embattled period, Ugyen Wangchuck was trained as a skilled combatant.[3] In 1876, when he was 14, Ugyen joined his father in fighting the rebellious Penlop of Paro, Tshewnag Norbu. In early 1877 his father left Ugyen in Paro to deal with a rebellion in Punakha. Ugyen was kidnapped by one of his father's enemies, Damchö Rinchen. When Jigme Namgyal threatened to kill twelve members of Rinchen's sister's family, Rinchen released Ugyen. Soon afterwards, in 1878, Jigme Namgyal appointed Ugyen as the Penlop of Paro at the age of 16. Soon after, in 1881, Jigme died, and Ugyen took on many of his father's responsibilities. He tried to reconcile with the enemies of his father, offering gifts to monasteries that disliked Jigme Namgyal, and showing kindness and forbearance to those that had personally wronged his father.
Afterwards, Ugyen began work to consolidate power and put those he trusted into key positions of government. In 1882, after a period of strife and civil war, Ugyen assumed the position as the Penlop of Trongsa, a post his father had held. Ugyen continued to further suppress dissent. Two of Ugyen's trusted allies, Alu Dorji and Phuntsho Dorji, rebelled against him and attempted to instate a monk of their choosing as the 55th Druk Desi. This culminated in the battle of Changlimethang in 1886, the last armed civil conflict in Bhutanese history. Ugyen, now 24, held a decisive victory, eliminated all internal strife, making him the de facto ruler of Bhutan.[4]
Founding of Buddhist monarchy by unanimous agreement
Bhutan had been ruled under 54 successive
Foreign relations and official visits abroad
Ugyen Wangchuck, then 12th
King Ugyen Wangchuck was acutely conscious that
Spirituality
King Ugyen Wangchuck had close relationship with many Buddhist spiritual masters such as Lama Serkong Dorji Chang (1856–1918), Tertön Zilnon Namkha Dorji, and the 15th Karmapa Khachyab Dorji (1871–1922). In 1894, aged 33, he undertook the construction of Kurjey temple, one of the landmarks of Vajrayana Buddhism in the world. The middle lhakhang in Kurjey, with its towering Guru statue, was built in 1894 by King Ugyen Wangchuck.[11] His Majesty was a great benefactor to the dratshangs (monastic bodies) throughout the country. As part of his vision for scholarship and education of young Bhutanese, he sent two groups of Bhutanese to study up to geshey level in Tibet. Twice, in 1915 and 1917, he sent batches of young monks to Zhenphen Choki Nangwa (1871–1927) in Dokham. They later returned to Bhutan and became influential geshes (doctorate level) and lamas, serving as radiant sources of Buddhist teachings.[7] One of the iconic pilgrimage centres of Buddhism is the Swayambhunath Temple in Kathmandu, a monastic enclave held by Bhutan. It was renovated mostly with King Ugyen Wangchuck's personal funds. Kagyu Lama Togden Shacha Shri (1853–1919), with whom King Ugyen Wangchuck corresponded a great deal, supervised the renovation on behalf of King Ugyen Wangchuck.[7]
Western schools
King Ugyen's commitment was not only confined to spreading monastic education. Following his visits to Kolkata and Delhi, he began to establish schools. The first were established in Lame Goenpa and Wangducholing, with 14 Bhutanese boys from both eastern and western Bhutan. Later, the number increased to 46. By then, students were being sent to missionary schools in Kalimpong. Those members of the first batch of students became important officials in the 1930s and 1940s. King Ugyen took the initiative to sow the seeds of western education, as well as strengthen the roots of dharma in Bhutan.[7][12]
Death
In 1926, aged 64, King Ugyen died at Thinley Rabten Palace in Phodrang.
Honours
Foreign honours
- British Raj:
- Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) (01/01/1921) 1921 New Year Honours
- Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI) (12/12/1911)
- Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) (02/01/1905) 1905 New Year Honours
- Recipient of the Delhi Durbar Gold Medal (12/12/1911)
Ancestry
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Footnotes
- ^ a b WANGCHUCK DYNASTY. 100 Years of Enlightened Monarchy in Bhutan. Lham Dorji
- ^ Queens of Bhutan
- ISBN 978-193247-62-1-7.
- )
- ^ Tshewang, Lama Pema (1973). A Brief History of the First druk Hereditary King of Bhutan.
- ^ Sood, Shubhi (2008). Bhutan: 100 Years of Wangchuck Vision. Noida: SDS Publications.
- ^ ISBN 978-99936-14-47-0.
- ^ ISBN 97881-753-61-64-5.
- ISBN 978-0719554292.
- ISBN 978-1-135-87327-1.
- ^ Sanga, Lama (1983). Brug-tu 'od-gsal lha' I byung-tshul brjod-pa smyos-rabs gsal-ba'I me-long (Discourse on the Coming to Bhutan of a Lineage of the Gods of Clear: The Mirror which Illuminates the Generations the Nyo. Thimphu.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Tobgye, Lyonpo Sonam. Education System in Bhutan – Past, Present and Future – A Reflection.