DRUK
JUL / BHUTAN
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Bhutan, formerly a part of Tibet, was founded
in the 16th century. In 1734 it recognized Chinese suzerainty and until 1912
the Chinese Emperor was the de jure if not the de facto
sovereign of Bhutan. It was ruled by the dual system of administration known
as chhosi, introduced by Shabdrung (ruler) Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651). He instituted the office of the Druk
Desi to look after the temporal administration of the country and the Je Khenpo to look after religious matters.
This form of dual government continued until the dawn of the twentieth
century. In 1907, a large gathering of nobles, officials, and governors
agreed to establish a hereditary monarchy in the person of Ugyen Wangchuk,
the son of the governor of Trongsa and 51st Druk Desi, and the most powerful ruler in the province. He became the
first king of Bhutan. His grandson altered his title to Druk Gyalpo
(Dragon King) and assumed the title of Majesty in 1963. On the 8th of January 1910 the kingdom became
a British Protectorate. From the 8th of August 1949 the Government of India
acts as its protector. The Shabdrung
(Dharma Raja or King of Religion) was the head of state and the
ultimate authority in religious and civil matters. For the sake of continuity, the concept of multiple
reincarnation of the first Shabdrung - in the form of either his body,
his speech, or his mind - was invoked by the Je Khenpo and the Druk
Desi, both of whom wanted to retain the power they had accrued through
the dual system of government. The last person recognized as the bodily
reincarnation of Ngawang Namgyal died in the mid-eighteenth century, but
speech and mind reincarnations, embodied by individuals who acceded to the
position of Shabdrung, were recognized into the early twentieth
century. According to
the dual system of government established by Ngawang Namgyal, the powers of
the government of Bhutan were ideally split between a religious branch and an
administrative branch. The state
monastic body had an elected head, the Je Khenpo (lord abbot), and the theocratic civil
government was headed by the Druk Desi
(regent of Bhutan, also known as Deb Raja in Western sources). The Druk
Desi was either a monk or a member of the laity - by the nineteenth
century, usually the latter; he was elected for a three-year term, initially
by a monastic council and later by the State Council (Lhengye Tshokdu).
The last Druk Desi ruled 1903-’06. Since the
establishment of the monarchy in 1907, the relative influence of the Je
Khenpo has diminished. Nonetheless, the position remains a powerful one
and the Je Khenpo is typically viewed as the closest and most powerful
advisor to the King of Bhutan. The State
Council was a central administrative organ that included regional rulers, the
Shabdrung's chamberlains, and the Druk Desi. In time, the Druk
Desi came under the political control of the State Council's most
powerful faction of regional administrators. The seat of
government was at Thimphu, the site of a thirteenth-century dzong, in
the spring, summer, and fall. The winter capital was at Punakha, a dzong
established northeast of Thimphu in 1527. The territory
was divided into three regions (east, central, and west), each with an
appointed penlop, or governor, holding a seat in a major dzong.
The penlop were tax collectors, judges, military commanders, as well
as procurement agents for the central government. Their major revenues came
from the trade between Tibet and India and from land taxes. Districts were
headed by dzongpon, or district officers, who had their headquarters
in lesser dzong. Ngawang
Namgyal's regime was bound by a legal code called the Tsa Yig, which
described the spiritual and civil regime and provided laws for government
administration and for social and moral conduct. The duties and virtues
inherent in the Buddhist dharma (religious law) played a large role in
the new legal code, which remained in force until the 1960s. |
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Because Bhutan
was for a long time a Chinese vassal, Bhutanese heraldry is an offspring of
Chinese heraldry. This means that
the symbols used to represent the sociopolitical elements, were identical
with such symbols used in China. Also, the insignia of civil and military
rank were borrowed from the Chinese Qing system, itself a continuation of the
earlier Ming system. In a few cases
this symbolic system is completed with symbols of hindu and buddhist
origin. The system of
rank insignia of Bhutan is copied from the Chinese or Tibetan system, the
dragon (druk / lung) representing the supreme commander and emperor
and the phoenix (gyaja / fung) representing the supreme
administrator or empress. Lower ranks have similar insignia as their Chinese
counterparts like the qilin and the lion for high military officials,
and the crane and the peacock for high civil officials. A difference is
that the rank-insignia were not worn as square patches on the surcoat like in
China, but were embroidered on square pieces of cloth, about 125 Í 125 cm in size, called Trikheb. These
were displayed on the ground in front of the sitting official or as throne
covers. On these trikhebs the sun of the Chinese rank insignia was
replaced by a lotus charged with a whirling emblem (gakhil) and the
rank insignia of birds and animals were arranged around this symbol. |
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In Bhutan, even
when it is characterized by a dual system of government, the empire or nation
is represented by the sun and the state by the moon as usual. Both are
depicted as a disc, the sun red, the moon white. |
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In this
sociopolitical configuration the ruler is represented by his imago. In
this case the Shabdrung is represented as a buddhist monk, sitting
crosslegged and with his personal emblem in his left hand. On his head there
is a special headdress of plied brocade inscribed with a religious formula in
golden embroidery. The ruler
himself is represented by
a jachung (garuda) the ‘vehicle’ or executive official of the
sovereign.
Ngawang
Namgyel, the first Shabdrung (1594-1651) In this thanka
the Shabdrung is “supported’ by two red imperial dragons, and on his
robes are phoenixes, symbols of imperial administration. |
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The print of
the seal of the Shabdrung shows a version of the çakra, the
center charged with his name and the spokes with religious texts. In the four
corners are conch shells, the symbols of speech. This seal
symbolizes the religious aspect of the authority of the sovereign and his
quality of the speech-incarnation of the first Shabdrung. The
seal itself is of Chinese fashion and size, its prints are in red ink. A print of this
seal is on the document containing the contract of hereditary monarchy adopted
in Punakha Dzong, 17 December 1907:
Shabdrung Jigme Dorji’s State Seal, 1907 “The
chief Lama, the Tatsang Khempo, who has possession of the Dharma Rajah’s (=
King of Religion) seal, produced this from a casket. It is a huge thing some
five inches (= 12,7 cm) square ...” [1] |
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We may suppose
that the State Council was represented by a sun-and-crescent combination
which is of very ancient design. This symbol, also known in Tibetan as nyi-da,
is a common symbol in Buddhism. As such it symbolizes heaven, [the] method (upaya) and wisdom (prajna)
[of the State Council] and
it occurs on top of chortens. In the
Bhutanese context there is a version of this symbol, lacking the flame on top
of it, on the first so-called Raven crown. It was also depicted on the
shields of the Royal Guard which are of a design encountered in some Indian
princely states. |
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The dual system
of governement, consisting of the religious branch, headed by the Je
Khenpo, and the administrative branch, headed by the Druk Desi, is
represented by two Tibetan Buddhist symbols. The religious branch is
represented by the korlo (çakra) or the wheel of (religious) law.
Bhutanese
çakra within a garland as on a 1 ngultrum coin |
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The state
monastic body has the çakra supported by two dragons as its
achievement. This achievement could be
found above the entrance of some monasteries and today on a square seal. Also
it is displayed at some religious happenings.
Upper
threshold of the main entrance of the monastery of Talo near Punakha. [2] Showing
a çakra between two dragons. This monastery was the seat of the
successive incarnations of the Shabdrung, Bhutan’s head of state before the
emergence of the monarchy.
Present
Achievement of the Bhutan Buddhist Church
Seal
of the State Monastic body Çakra,
supported by two dragons, crested by a royal umbrella and with a lotus-flower
below. |
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Choley Yeshe Ngodub, Druk Desi 1903-1906 |
The
administrative (secular) branch is represented by the dorje (vajra)
or thunderbolt. This can be seen on the headdress of the last
Druk Desi. On this headdress, crested with a sword of wisdom (raltr /
khadga), is a double thunderbolt (dorje) From the
lions on the throne cover at the feet of this regent, we may conclude that
the Druk Desi of Bhutan had the rank of a Chinese military official of
the second rank. Consequently
the civil government should have been respresented by a dorje
supported by two birds, probably peacocks, but there are no pictures of such
an achievement from the time before the kingdom. |
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The
Kingdom |
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In the
Kingdom the king is represented by a dragon according to
his title Druk Gyalpo meaning “dragon king”. This is in the tradition
of the Chinese Empire and of other former Chinese vassal states like Korea,
Japan and Vietnam. The
dragon as a royal emblem was
introduced by Ugyen Wangschuk as can be seen on this portrait of him, sitting
on his throne and with a throne-hanging
behind him displaying a dragon.
As a
consequence the dragon supporters of different Bhutanese achievements mean:
“By the Grace of the King” or “Royal” in the same way as they meant “By the
Grace of the Emperor”or “Imperial” before. |
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The first kings
replaced some of the former symbols, probably because they wanted to abolish
the dual system of government. Instead we see the lotus-flower, a hindu and
buddhist symbol of administrative authority. [3] This can be seen on the headdress of
Ugyen Wangschuk on this photography:
King
Ugyen Wangschuk, 1911.[4] On
his headdress a lotus-flower. |
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Somewhat later the Government of Bhutan was represented by a lotus-flower
and a triple jewel, supported by two dragons.
This can be seen on the headdress of king Jigme Wangchuk:
Headdress
of King Jigme Wangchuk (1926-’52) [5] Showing
a lotus-flower and a triple jewel
between two dragons It has to be
noted that the triple jewel (konchog-sum) is the symbol of the Holy Triad (Buddha,
Dharma, Sangha) of which Dharma signifies the Word of Buddha or
the law, and Sangha the Congregation of Lamas or Buddhist Church. As
such the headdress would mean “The united religious and civil Government”. |
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The dorje was reintroduced by the third
king, Jigme Dordzji Wangsjuk (1952-1972). This symbol of secular authority
(“indestructibility and overwhelming power”) was printed on stamps issued in
1954:
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Not long
afterwards the seal of the government of Bhutan appears, showing an
achievement with the double thunderbolt and the dragons, together with a
wish-granting jewel (yizhin norbu):
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A newer version
of this achievement shows the clouds styled in a different way:
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The achievement was changed in the last years
before the death of king Dzjigme Singay Wansjuk (1972-2006). It is on
the Project of 26th March and 18th August 2005 for a
Constitution. On this occasion one of
the clouds was replaced by a lotus-flower in base.
The official description of the National
Emblem is formulated in the project as follows: The national emblem, contained in
a circle, is composed of a double diamond thunderbolt placed above a lotus,
surmounted by a jewel and framed by two dragons. The double diamond
thunderbolt represents the harmony between secular and religious power; which
results from the Buddhist religion in its Vajrayana form. The lotus
symbolizes purity, the jewel represents sovereign power, and the two dragons,
male and female, stand for the name of the country / the thunder dragon. |
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After the accession
to the throne of Jigme Khesar Namgyel
Wangchuk in 2006, the achievement was changed again, this time by replacing
the triple jewel by a royal umbrella which symbolizes “a universal spiritual
monarch”.
This
achievement is also in the House of Parliament together with a sun an a moon,
symbolizing the empire and the state, and a mountain-range, common in Chinese
and Tibetan sociopolitical symbolism and representing the territory of the
nation. ð See illustration in the head of this essay. [6] |
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An important role
in today’s national emblems is played by the so-called Raven Crown (Uzha Jarog Dongchen). In the first Raven Crown, designed for the Penlop
of Trongsa, Jigme Namgyal (*1825-†1881) by his tutor, the Tibetan lama Jangchub Tsöndru (†1856) different symbols are combined. It
consists of:
At the time the crown was designed, Jigme
Namgyal was the most powerful governor in Bhutan as he had received as a
personal fief the whole of Eastern and Central Bhutan (which he already
controlled) from the then Druk Desi Damchö Llundrup (1852-’56).[7] As such he had a seat in the State
Council, together with the other (lesser) regional rulers, the Shabdrung's
chamberlains, and the Druk Desi himself. Later, he became a Druk
Desi himself (1870-’73;1877-’78;1880-’81). The crown or headdress represents him as the Mahakala
or main protector of Bhutan and, the wild goose being the symbol of a Chinese
civil official of the fourth rank, as the first civil official of the
Bhutanese government (after the Druk Desi). |
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The
Crown of penlop Jigme Namgyal,
about 1854. Uzha Jarog Dongchen. Chinese
and English silken brocade and damask, cotton cloth, silken embroidery,
silvered brass, gilded copper plate. H. 25 cm Æ 23 cm. By courtesy of the Royal Government of Bhutan Left: Drawing of the crown by Robert Beer (after Michael Aris); Right:
The crown in the National Museum, Paro. |
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The second Raven Crown. |
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A crown of a somewhat
different design appeared on the head of Ugyen Wangchuk in 1904. [8] At the time he was penlop of
Trongsa and the Druk Desi’s chamberlain (gongzim) and in fact
controlled Bhutanese polical life. His hat is an adaptation of the hat worn
by high Chinese officials, consisting of a red cone-shaped hat topped with a
red coral bead and with a broad black upturned rim, decorated with a
peacock’s feather pending from the backside. Such a hat had been presented to the
regent Sangye Dorje (1885-1901) in 1891. When questioned about Bhutanese
relations with China and insignia of office that were supposed to have been
received, Uguyen Dorje did admit that a search had finally produced “a hat with an imitation coral button (the
insignia of an official in the second rank) and a peacock’s feather, now half
eaten by insects”. [9]
Chinese Hat of Office In spite of
this rather disparaging remarks, Ugyen Dorje’s own hat was a copy and
adaptation of this Chinese hat. For the purpose, the yesheypai chen were embroidered on the hat, the coral bead was
replaced by a crane’s head, crested with the emblem of the Bhutanese
Government. The rim was embroidered
with four skulls, also attibutes of Mahakala, between Bhutanese-styled curls
in golden embroidery and the peacocks feather was omitted. Again, by this
hat the penlop of Trongsa is represented as a protector of Bhutan but
now as a civil official of the first rank. It also symbolizes the fierce
denial of Ugyen Wangschuk of Chinese suzerainty. |
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The
second Raven Crown Left: Ugyen Wangschuk wearing the Raven Crown,
1904. Centre: Drawing of the crown by Robert Beer (after Michael Aris); The
crown on the head of the actual King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk. |
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The Third Raven Crown |
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The
design of the crown of the third and fourth Druk Gyalpos is almost the same
as that of the crown worn by the first two kings. While the breadth of rim
remains the same, the motif on it is a jachung (Sanskrit: garuda, the king
of birds) instead of tantric skulls. That motif of jachung is also
relevant to the crown as an enduring symbol of monarchy and majesty of the
kings. Garuda, the
vehicle of Vishnu and as such a symbol of
royal government, is also depicted above the head of the first Shabdrung. |
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Third
Raven Crown Left: Drawing of the crown by Robert Beer (after Michael Aris). Right: King Jigme Singye
Wangschuk (1972-2006) wearing the third Raven Crown. |
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The Legend |
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At some
time in the twentieth century the hat with the skulls worn by the Bhutanese
kings was linked with the legend of the first Shabdrung and the Raven
deity. [10] A
prophetic dream is said to have come to the first Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel
during which the guardian deity Mahakala appeared in his raven form Legoen
Jarog Dongchen (the raven-faced protector deity) to guide him on the path
from Tibet south to Bhutan, which was now offered to him in its entirety by
the deity as his “heavenly field”or “religious estate”. According
to this legend Bhutan was given to the Shabdrung by Legoen Jarog
Dongchen. This implied that Bhutan was a sovereign state, the mandate of
the Shabdrung and later kings reaching back to the interference of a deity. As
a consequence the hat, formerly symbolizing Tibetan or Chinese suzerainty,
was supposed now to be the face of the patron deity Legoen Jarog Dongchen
and given the name of Raven Crown to symbolize Bhutanese sovereignty. We may suppose
that the invention of the Raven Crown has something to do with the
dissolution of the Chinese empire and the fall of the Qing Dynasty in
1911/’12. In 1734
Bhutan had recognized the suzerainty of China and, as we have seen, the
regent had been offered a Chinese hat of office still in 1891 even when
Chinese suzerainty was a mere fiction by the time. Nevertheless, in 1908
the Amban (of Tibet in Lhasa) addressed a letter to the regent as if
there were still no king: “The Bhutanese are the subjects of the Emperor of
China who is the Lord of Heaven, and are of the same religion as the other
parts of the Empire. You, Deb Raja, and the two Penlops think that you are
great, but you cannot continue without paying attention to the orders of your
rulers .... After the proclamation of the republic in China,
Bhutan, being a protectorate of the
United Kingdom could consider itself to be a sovereign nation. The legend of
the Shabdrung and the Raven deity legitimized this sovereignty. |
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The emblem of the Royal Bhutan
Army is a trident (khatvamga tsesum). |
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© Hubert de Vries 2010-04-01
Heraldry of the World