Bhutan is a landlocked
country in the Eastern Himalayas, located between
China and
India. "Druk Yul," or "land of the thunder dragon" as Bhutan is known, has been heavily influenced by Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism from the land immediately to its north. Nepal and Bangladesh are located in close proximity to Bhutan but do not share a land border. The country has a population of over 754,000. Bhutan and neighboring Tibet experienced the spread of Buddhism which originated in the Indian subcontinent during the lifetime of Gautama Buddha. In the first millennium, the Vajrayana school of Buddhism spread to Bhutan from the southern Pala Empire of Bengal. Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim and parts of Nepal became the vestiges of the Mahayana schools amid the decline of Buddhism in
India. Bhutan also came under the influence of the Tibetan Empire. During the 16th century, Ngawang Namgyal unified the valleys of Bhutan into a
single state. Namgyal defeated three Tibetan invasions, subjugated rival religious schools, codified the Tsa Yig legal system, and established a
government of theocratic and civil administrators. Namgyal became the first Zhabdrung Rinpoche and his successors acted as the spiritual leaders of Bhutan
like the Dalai Lama in Tibet. During the 17th century, Bhutan controlled
large parts of northeast
India, Sikkim and Nepal; it also wielded significant influence in Cooch Behar State.
