The trilogy series of a talk on the Institution of the Bhutanese Monarchy by Dasho Dr. Sonam Kinga has been specially curated to commemorate the momentous 113th National Day of Bhutan. The Part-I of this series will provide a comparative analysis of Bhutan’s Monarchy vis-zà-vis other monarchies and similar establishments around the world. Dasho provides a scholarly perspective on what makes us unique—one of a kind “Monarchy” in the world—and where we stand today as a nation.

We have come a long way—from a monastic government in the seventeenth century under Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel to the historic establishment of the hereditary monarchy with the enthronement of Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck as the First King of Bhutan on December 17, 1907. A hundred years later, the world witnessed yet another unprecedented event in history as Bhutan transitioned to a Democratic Constitutional Monarchy in 2008. As some observers say, the monarchs in Bhutan persuaded and convinced people to accept democracy. 

Such a profound level of trust and faith between the Monarchs and the people is a ‘Special Blessing’ that perhaps only Bhutanese can comprehend and cherish. The burgeoning trust, love, and unwavering faith and respect by Bhutanese people of all generations is a testament to the selfless service and leadership of the successive sovereigns of the Wangchuck Dynasty.
 
Pelden Drukpa Gyalo.