Drukgyel Dzong and How a Lama Unified Bhutan
Bhutan is a Himalayan kingdom with a rich history and a distinctive Buddhist culture . It has barely been impacted by modernity and globalization, and has managed to largely preserve its ancient culture. Perhaps the best-known historic site in the country is the ruined complex of Drukgyel Dzong. The Bhutanese government has applied for the site to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
The History of Drukgyel Dzong
Drukgyel Dzong was built in 1649 to protect the area and also to serve as a religious center when the Dzong area was of great strategic importance. The Drukpa-Kagyud Buddhist School was built by the head, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, often known as the Bearded Lama, who had fled from Tibet.
Ngawang Namgyal and his followers built several other Dzongs to control the wild mountainous region of Bhutan and in 1634 he unified what is now the Kingdom of Bhutan after his great victory in the Battle of the Five Lamas. Prior to this time much of the country was in the hands of Buddhist monastic orders and feudal lords .
