CHAPTER II

A BRIEF POLITICAL HISTORY OF ASSAM

Assam, during our period of study (1681-1949), was ruled by the Ahoms
(1228-1826), which was then known as the Ahom kingdom, and from1826 to' 1947 by
the British, known as Assam Province, and then became a State of the Indian Union.
In the beginning of the thirteenth century the Ahoms, a group of Tai race of the
-1
Shan branch, first penetrated into the Brahmaputra valley from south-western Yunnan.
On the eve of their penetration the Valley was ruled, particularly in central and western
Assam, by a number of petty, mostly non-tribal landlords, called the Bhuyans?
Sukapha, the founder of the Ahom kingdom, crossed the Patkai hills and curved
out a principality of his own in the south-eastern comer of the present district of
Sibsagar, and the eastern comer of the present Tinsukia district between the river
Dikhow and the Buri-Dihing; this place was then inhabited by a few settlements of the
Morans and the Borahis, while the Kacharis scattered here and there. 3
In 1228, Sukapha established his authority over the Morans, Borahis and the
Nagas by applying diplomacy as well as force. He administered the country with the help
of two ministers, titled Buragohain and Borgahain. Sukapha was succeeded by his son
Suteupha (1268-1281) who extended the western boundary up to the Namdang river by
applying diplomacy with· the Kacharis. 4 From Subinpha, the third king, to Supimpha
(1493-1497) the thirteenth king, the boundary of the Ahom kingdom remained
. unchanged. Sometime earlier, there occurred the conflicts of the Ahoms with the rulers
ofKamata kingdom during the reign of the fourth Ahom king, Sukhanpha (1293-1332),
and the treacherous murder of the sixth Ahom king Sutupha (1364-1376) by the

Chutiyas in 1376. 5
Suhummung, commonly known as the Dihingia Raja -(1497-1539), the 14th
Ahom king, expanded the Ahom kingdom both in the direction of the east as well as the

1 S. K. Bhuyan, (ed.), Deodhai Asam Buranji, pp. 90-91.

2 K. L. Barua, Early History of Kamarupa, pp. 146-242.
3 S. K. Bhuyan, Assam Buranji, Tr. No. 82, Vol. IV, p. 242 ; S. K. Bhuyan, Deodhai Asam Buranji,
pp. 90-91.
4 L. Devi, Ahom-Tribal Relations, p. 8.
5 Ibid.
 12

west. In 1523, Suhummung after killing the Chutiya king in the battle annexed the
Chutiya kingdom. 6 In 1536, he defeated the Kacharis and compelled them to desert
Dimapur, their capital, by the side of the Dhansiri river, and to retreat further south to
Maibong on the bank of the Mahur river where they estabiished a new capital?
Suhummung created a high post, titled Borpatragohain, and made the post at par with
the other two cabinet ministers who accompanied Sukapha to Assam. Now there were
three ministers, namely, Borpatragohain, Buragohain and Borgohain. 8 His reign also
witnessed a series of invasions of the Muslim rulers of Bengal who repeatedly tried to
push their boundary to further east to occupy the area teemed with elephants and other
valuable articles.
By the end of the fifteenth century, some other political developments took
place in the western part of Assam. In 1498, Hussain Shah, the Nawab of Bengal,
destroyed the kingdom of Kamata, and by the beginning of the 16th century, the Koches
under Biswa Singha (1515-1540) established the Koch kingdom on the ruins of the old
Kamata kingdom. The Koch king Biswa Singha had succeeded in exerting considerable
influence over the southern tract of the Bhutan hills contiguous to · the plains. The
Bhutias were allowed to maintain periodical communication with the plains of Assam
and North Bengal by paying tributes for use of the passes. This was also maintained by
the next Koch ruler Naranarayan. 9
During the reign of the Ahom king Suklenmung, commonly known as the
Garhgayan Raja (1539-1552), .hostile moves between the Ahoms and the Koches had
begun. In the reign of the next Ahom king, Sukhampha (1552-1603), Chilarai, the Koch
general and the brother of Naranarayan ( 1540-15 87), invaded the Ahom kingdom with
full force. In 1562~ he sacked the Ahom capital, Garhgaon and compelled the Ahom king
to ·acknowledge the overlordship of the Koch king, and also to cede a large portion of
the territory on the north bank of the Brahmaputra to the Koches. In this invasion the
Bhutia infantry had joined the Koch army and were put under the command of Gohain

6 E. A. Gait, A History of Assam, p. 87.

7 L. Devi, op. cit., p. 9.
8 Ibid.
9 H. K. Barpujari, The Comprehensive History of Assam, Vol. II, p. 72.
 13

Kamal, a brother of king [Link]

This situation, however, did not last long ; soon the Koch king was compelled
by a political crisis to submit to the Ahom king. Thereafter, the Koch kingdom was
divided into two halves -Koch Behar, ruled by Naranarayan, and Koch Hajo, ruled by
the son of Chilarai. Soon there arose conflicts between the two Koch rulers ; and the
friction between them continued to increase in the subsequent years. At last both the
rulers begged protection from outside. The Koch Behar ruler sought help from the
Mughals, who in the meantime, occupied Bengal and extended their eastern boundary
upto Koch Behar, and the Koch Hajo ruler renewed his relations with the Ahoms. As

.. hostilities and the outside intervention, the Koch kingdoms had to face
a result of the
troubles, and ultimately the Koch Hajo ruler lost his power. Taking advantage of this
situation, the Bhutias pushed their southern boundaty towards the plains and occupied
the land upto the Gohain Kamal Ali. II
The history of Assam in the seventeenth century was dominated by the conflicts
with the Mughals. In the reign of the Ahom king Susengpha, commonly known as Pratap
Singha (1603-1641), the Ahmhs greatly extended their influence over both the banks of
the Brahmaputra in central Assam. The tract south of the Brahmaputra was placed under
the Barphukan, a high post created newly for the purpose, and on the north, Balinarayan,
a Koch Hajo Prince, was established as tributary king who was rechristened as
0

Dharmanarayan. Pratap Singha was an able administrator who caused the less populated
border areas to be developed by settlement of families on whom he could repose trust.
He also raised huge eastern ramparts, built fortresses and strengthened and the army
strengthened.I 2 As a result, the Mughals faced stiff resistance and could not succeed in
subjugating the Ahoms. The ninth king, Sutamla alias Jayadhvaj Singha (1648-1663 ),
took the advantage of the period of dissension amongst the contenders tq the Mughal
0

throne and took possession of lower Assam from the Mughals to extend his western
boundary beyond Dhubri. However, in 1662, the Mughals under the command of Mit
Jumla succeeded in sacking the Ahom Capital, Garhgaon, and bringing the Ahom ruler

IO . E. A. Gait, op. cit., p. 101.

II L. Devi, op. cit., p. 252.
I2 Rai Sahib G. C. Barna, (Tr. and ed.), Ahom Buranji, pp. 110-I26.
 14

to a subordinate position. 13 Subsequently, the Ahoms successfully extended their

western boundary upto the Manas river inflicting the fmal blow to the Mughals at the
battle of Itakhuli in 1682, that is during the reign of Gadadhar Singha (1681-1696). 14
During the region Jayadhvaj Singha (1648-63), the control of the seven Duars
in Kamrup and Darrang, and the territory extending to the Gohain Kamal Ali was given
to the Bhutia government in return for, annual tribute. But the Darrang Duars, viz.,
Buriguma and Killing remained with the Ahom government for four months in every
year, when the Bhutia paid an annual tribute to the Ahom government which consisted
of yaktails, ponies, musk, gold-dust, blankets and swords. 15 In 1688, during the time of
Godadhar Singha, there arose the controversy over the collection of taxes in the Duars
when the Sat Raja prevented the Ahom officers from collecting taxes from the traders.
In 1690, the Bhutias killed Baidyanath Choudhury, the collector of the Ahom
government. The Duaria later captured the guilty persons, but the tax problems
remained. Again in 1691, the Bhutias troubled the Ahom officers on the collection of the
taxes. Gadadhar Singha asked the Darrang Raja to construct a fort. Froni this time
onward the Bhutias did not trouble the Ahom government and maintained peaceful
relations by paying their annual tributes to the Ahom government. 16
Under the reign of Rudra Singha (1696-1714), the son of Gadadhar Singha,
Assam witnessed the climax of the Ahom rule. He successfully brought the Kacharis and
the Jayantias under control. He also compelled the Kacharis to cede further plain
territories in the southern part of the present Nagaon district. 17
From the middle of the eighteenth century, the Ahom monarchy was on the
decline. The throne was occupied by a number of weak rulers whose only ambition was
the enjoyment of power regardless of the interest of the State. Reference may be made
to the Moamaria rebellion which broke out in 1769 as a protest against the religious
intolerance of some officials in the Ahom court. In 1778, the rebels overwhelmed the

13 A. Mackenzie, A History of the Relations of the British government with the Hill Tribes of the
North-East Frontier of Bengal, p. 10. ·
14 L. Devi, op. cit., p. 10.
15 Ibid., p. 261.
16 S. K. Bhuyan, Assam Buranji, Tr. No. 78, Vol, 79, pp. 3-5.
17 L. Devi, op. cit., p. 10; E. A Gait, op. cit., pp. 167-170.
 15

royalists. The king Gaurinath Singha had to flee to Gawahati. 18 In response to Gaurinath
Singha's repeated appeals, Lord Cornwallis despatched six companies of troops to
Assam under Captain Welsh in 1792. 19 However, because of a change of policy in British
administration, the British troops were withdrawn from Assam in 1794. 20
During the disturbances in Assam caused by the Moamarias, the Bhutias carried
some Ahom subjects as slaves and also gave shelter to many rebel leaders within their
territory. 21 In 1801, Kamaleswar Singha sent an embassy to Bhutan for restoration of
peaceful relations between Assam and Bhutan. 22 The Deb Raja and the Dharma Raja
of Bhutan sent in return envoys to the Ahom capital with valuable presents. In 1805, the
Darrang Raja, Samudra Narayan, was instructed by the Ahom king to protect the Ahom
subjects and also to push back the Bhutias to their original limits.Z 3
During the reign of Kamaleswar Singha (1795-1811) arid Chandra Kanta Singha
(1811-1818), the royal court gradually showed the sign of a polarisation. During the time
of Chandrakanta Singha, the court was virtually divided into two blocks. The king and
the members of the royal family were on one side, and Purnananda Buragohaiu, the
Prime Minister and his supporters on the other. 24 Being unable to control the activities
of Pumananda Buragohain, the royal camp succeded in persuading the Burmese monarch .
to despatch a force to Assam. In 1817, the Burmese appeared on the scene and installed
Raja Chandrakanta to power. 25 But soon Chandrakauta was replaced by Purandar
Singha, who was raised to the throne. When this development came to the knowledge
of the Burmese king, they despatched Alamingi at the head of another Burmese force,
which entered Assam frontier in 1818. With the intervention of the Burmese, Assam was
placed under Chandrakanta Singha, a puppet in the Burmese hands. 26 The Burmese .

18 S. K. Bhuyan, (ed.), Padya Buranji, pp. 101-102; S. K. Bhuyan; (ed.), Tungkhungia Buranji, pp.
107-8.
19 Foreign Political Consultation (For. Pol. Cons.), 3 October, 1792, No. 17.
20 Ibid., 19 March, 1794, No. 20.
21 S. K. Bhuyan, Anglo-Assamese Relations, p. 35.
22 S. K. Bhuyan, (ed.), Tuilgkhung(a Buranji, pp. 151-155, 167-169; S. K. Bhuyan, (ed.), Jayantia
Buranji, pp. 152-158.
23 S. K. Bhtiyan, (ed.), Tungkhungia Burar~ji, pp. 179-81, 186-87.
24 E. A. Gait, op. cit., p. 220.
25 Ibid., p. 215. .
26 Rai Sahib G. C. Baruah, (Tr. and ed.), Ahom Buranji, p. 383.
 16

began a reign of terror and it was in this context that the British intervened leading to
the signing of the Treaty of Yandaboo. While the British intervention saved Assam from
being converted into a Burmese province, it made Assam a slave under British rule. The
Treaty of Yandaboo, signed on 26th January 1826, proved to be a turning point in the
political history of Assam. The king of Ava surrendered his claims over Assam and the
neighbouring states of Kachar, Jayantia and Manipur to British govemment. 27
The East India Company, which took the realm of Assam as a result of the
signing of the Yandaboo treaty, issued a proclamation to the effect that at the end of
success, Assam would have a Government adopted to all. The purpose of the
proclamation was to secure the support of the local people of Assam. Although in the
midst of the devastation caused by the Burmese, the local people initially welcomed the
entry of the East India Company, the people were soon disillusioned with the British. It
is in this context that we saw a series of rebellion till 18 57, when the Sepoy Mutiny
broke out.
Reference may be made to the rebellion of Prince Gomdhar Konwar under
whose leadership the first rebellion against the Company Raj took place in 1828. There
was another rebellion, namely the rebellion of Gadadhar, within a year of the rebellion
I
of Gomdhar Konwar. In 1830, there was the rebellion of Piyali Phukan and his
associates, leading to the martyrdom of Piyali Phukan. In this context, we may .also
mention the rebellion of the Khasis (1826), rebellion ofthe Singphos (1829), insurrection
of the Akas, insurrection of the Nagas (1812), the insurrection of the Garos, that were
directed towards removing the East India Company from power. 28
In 1857, Assam also participated with the rest of the country in what is known
as the Sepoy Mutiny. In Assam it was Maniram Dewan, who masterminded the rebellion
from distant Calcutta, The associates of Maniram Dewan, like Piyali Barua, · Madhu
·Malik, Bahadur Gaonbura were known for their conspiracies regarding the participation
.
of the people of Assam in anti-British uprising. When the activities of the rebels came
to light, Maniram. Dewan and Piyali Barua were caught, tried and executed, and

27 L. Devi, op. cit., p. 13.

28 E. A. Gait, op. cit., p. 295.
 17
. . 29
numerous oth ers were put mto pnson.
In the aftermath of the rebellion of 1857, there occurred the transfer of power
from the East India Company to the British Crown. The British government adopted a
revenue policy in order to enhance the rates of revenue so as to repair the damage of
fmancial strain on the Government. It led to a number of popular uprisings against the
British government. For example, we may refer to the Patharughatar Dhewa, a rebellion
in Rangia, Lachima rising in Jayantia hills, rebellion in Manipur etc. All this
developments showed that all were not well in Assam in so far as the ·British rule was
concerned. 30
After the occupation of Assam by the British in 1826, a long line of frontier of
Bhutan touched, for the first time, that of the British territory. In fact, right from the days
of Warren Hastings, the Governors-General were conscious about the critical role with
'the Himalayan Kingdom' the British was to play in establishing contact with the people
of Tibet. In 1774, Bhutan was forced to conclude a peace treaty and to pay a tribute of
five tangan horses annually to the Company. 31 After the occupation of Assam by the
British, the tribute paid by Bhutan gradually fell into arrears, and frequent outrages and
"decoities" were committed in the British territory. In 1828, outrages committed by
Bhutia officials in-charge of the Buriguma Duar led to the attachment by the Government
of the tract, but was restored in 1834 on payment of fmes. In 1841, to secure peace in
this part of the frontier, a sum of Rs. 10,000/- was paid to the Bhutan government. 32
In 1844, the chief of the Koriapar Duar formally renounced his claini to this Duar in
return for annual payment of Rs. 5000/-. 33
In 1867-68, the boundary between Bhutan and Koch Behar was demarcated,
but the portion between Assam and Bhutan was left undemarcated. In 1870, the Dev
Raja of Bhutan requested the British that the boundary between Assam and Bhutan

29 H. K. Barpujari, Political History of Assam, Yol. I, p. 60.

30 Ibid., p. 175.
31 M. Kohli, India and Bhutan, 1772-1910, p. 10.
32 For. Pol. March 28, 1845, No. 52, Para 150, C. U. Aitchison, A Collection of Treaties, Engage-
ments and Sanads Relating to India and Neighbouring Countries, Vol. II, p. 73.
33 C. U. Aitchison, op. cit., pp. 297-298.

.... q,4.10(\2
~ . lJ
 18

Commissioner of Assam to settle the matter. The Commissioner, however, strongly

opposed such demarcation stating that in the demarcation drawn in 1866, Dewangiri had
clearly been included in the British India and there was no objection from the Bhutan
government. 34 This led to a misunderstanding between the two Governments on
collection ofJaxes. Ultimately in September 1972, Major J. M. Graham, the then Deputy
Commissioner of Darrang, was appointed a Boundary Commissioner, and Dewangiri
remained with the British India territories ; thus settled the Assam-Bhutan boundary_3 5
The end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century witnessed
a new awakening due to the interaction of various forces and movements. The popular
organisations like the Raij mels, Sarbajanik Sabha, Rayat Sabha and the Assam
Association built up a climate of popular movements leading to the emergence of
nationalism in the said period. It was recorded that before the establishment of the
National Congress, most of the popular organisations in Assam maintained contact with
other political organisations outside Assam which were posed to take an all-India
character. In the first sitting of the National Conference held in 1883 before the inception
of the Indian National Congress was attended by delegates from Assam.
Throughout the course of anti-British movements, Assam participated with
tremendous involvement of both men and women. Inspired by the dedicated leadership
of Mahatma Gandhi, the people of Assam participated in the Non-co-operation
Movement of 1920-21. The movement was particularly marked by the participation of
the students of Assam as well as the tea garden labourers. The students had their own
body, Assam Chhatra Sanmilan, through which they used to express their views and
assert their influence. It may be noted here that with the progress of the movement, the
demand for formation of the Assam Provincial Congress for the Assam Valley was
gaining popular support. It led to the formation of the Assam Provincial Congress in
1921. 36 Even during the Civil Disobedience Movement in Assam in 1930, there was full
scale participation of the people of the Province. The Quit India Movement of 1942,

34 For. Pol. A, June 1873, Nos. 134-144.

35 Ibid., A., February 1874, Nos. 176-182.
36 H. K. Barpujari, The Comprehensive History of Assam, Vol. V, pp. 276.
 19

also, inspired the people of the Province to make sacrifices for the cause of freedom. 37
By the time, there was political change in Great Britain and the Labour Party
government came to power. In accordance with the declaration of the Labour Party, the-
process of providing political independence to India was accelerated. It was in this
context that Lord Mountbatten was appointed the new Govemor-General who was
entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the ground for a smooth transfer of power.
' .
Accordingly, in terms. of the Mountbatten Plan, India was accorded independence in
1947 and Assam became a Province of Independent India.

BHUTAN:
The history of Bhutan as one political entity is said to have began from· about
seventeenth· century. In the period between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries Tibetan
Buddhist Lamas from eastem Tibet began to penetrate Bhutan. The Lamas belonging to
the Drukpha sect founded a large number of monastic establishments in westem Bhutan
_and converted a large number of people to Buddhism, and by doing so gave to this part
of Bhutan a distinct religious entity. Politically, the entire country was ruled over by
_chieftains, who were always fighting themselves which prevented. the realm of the
. .

country from achieving any kind of political identity. No leader was able to impose_ his
authority over the whole of Bhutan and the country fell an easy prey to the Tibetan ·
incursion. In the begillning of the seventeenth century from the midst of struggles arose
the· man of destiny in the person of Drukpha Rampochi, better known as Shabdrung
Ngawuang Namgyal. 38
According to the chronicles of the Koches, compiled in the later period, it is ·
said that in the middle of the sixteenth century a Koch prince established [Link] in
Bhutan. Taking advantage of the absence of the nominated prince in the capital. at the -
.time of Biswa Singha's death in 1540, Narasingha, his eldest son, ascended the throne
of Koch Behar. On hearing this development, the nominated prince, Malladev, later
known as Naranarayan, rushed back to the capital and occupied the throne, and had
. . .
driven away his brother Narasingha. Narasingha first took shelter at the hills ofBhutan~

37 - Ibid.
38 M. Kohli, op. cit., p. 6; B. J. Hasrat, op. cit., pp. 46-47.
 20

then went to Punakha where he established himself as the ruler of Punakha. It is also said
that he was entitled as the "Dharma Raja" (the spiritual king) and the management of
the administration he created a very high post in the name of "Deb Raja". For proper
management of the kingdom, he divided his kingdom into three parts, viz., Daga or
Deka, Tongso or Tongsu and Paro which were placed under the Pallas or Pentos. 39
Naranarayan harboured an ambition to include Bhutan within his kingdom, and
he succeeded in occupying the adjacent territory of Bhutan between the Hindola and the
Sonkosh rivers. This occupation, however, was short-lived; within fifty years Bhutan .
shook off its allegiance. to Cooch Behar and ceased to pay tribute's. 40
Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, or Namgyal came from a noble lineage and was
the son of Darji Lenpa Mepham Tempai Nymia by the daughter of Deba Kyishopa and
belonged to the house of Gya of Druk and Ralung. He studied at Ralung under the
Drukpa Lama, Padma Karpo and was most suited to succeed the Ralung Hierarchy.
However, a rival claiment, Kerma Tenkgong Wangpo, supported by Deva Tsang-pa,
proved too much for him and Shubdrung Namgyal, therefore, made his way to Bhutan
by the Lingzi Pass in 1616.41 Possessed of great organising ability, he was a man of
vision and courage. During the years that was given to him to rule over the country, he
waged countless number of wars with contending tribes, defeated many a time the
Tibetans who repeatedly tried to conquer Bhutan, and gave to the country a political
unity, and more or less a peaceful administration, having established law and order with
a strong hand. He encouraged art and crafts of the land, built a number of dzong and .
42
monasteries, many of which survive to this day, and reformed the Buddhist Sangha.
In the time of Namgyal, there was trouble between Bh~tan and Tibet over the
question of Monpa monasteries. Dalai Lama V wanted to impose his will on the
Bhutanese, who had refused to recognize the former's authority over their remote vruley,
especially Mon Tawang. Therefore, when the Mongol troops of Gushri Khan invaded

39 N.C. Sarma, (ed.), Darrang Rajvangsavali, pp. 62-63; A. A. Khan Cl;1.0udhury, Cooch Behm·er
Itihas, p. 335.
40 R. Rahul, op. cit., p. 33.
41 N. Singh, op. cit., pp. 20-22.
42 Ibid., p. 21 ; M. Kohli, op. cit., p. 7.
 21

Bhutan in 1644, Bhutan decided to make it up with the Dalai Lama. In 1646, Bhutan
and Tibet entered into negotiation and an agreement was made which restored the
original position in respect of Mon Tawang between Bhutan and Tibet. But the peace
did not last long. When in 1647, the. Mongol-Tibetan troops came again, and reached as
far as Paro in western Bhutan and stayed upto 1649, the invaders were defeated badly
by the Bhutanese troops. 43
In 1650, Ngawang Namgyal created the state Council, called Lhengye Tsok. He
bifurcated the duties of the ruler by creating two separate officers, one to look after the
spiritual and religious affairs to be known as Dharma Raja (Shabdrung), and the other
to be called Deb Raja (Desi) to look after the general administration of the state revenue
and expenditure and dealing with foreign power. The Dharma Raja wielded wide power
and became a symbol of law and justice, while the Deb Raja had the function of a mere
regent- like the office of Depa of Tibet. In subseque~t period, it seems, Dharma Raja
fqllow~d the incarnation of the predecessor, the Deb Raja was elected by the Council
of permanent members who were chosen from amongst the principal officers of the
country. 44
Namgyal also organised Bhutan into Eastern, Central and Western divisions and
appointed a Chi/a (Monk· Chief) _in each of them and Dzongpon (Chief of District) in
each district. Later the designation Chi/a was changed to Penlop (Chief Teacher or
' 45
Governor). .
Namgyal also introduced the Dzong system of Tibet in Western Bhutan. The
Dzong which had originally been the strongholds of the local chiefs or petty kings of pre-
Bhuddist Tibet, concerned themselves with military functions and eventually formed a
network of military administrative centres responsible to whatever Government was in
power in their respective areas. He also made laws for the protection of the peasents.46
In 1651, Namgyal finally took retreat in his apartment and thus ended his rule over
Bhutan. 47

43 R. Rahul, op. cit., pp. 23-24.

44 Ibid., pp. 25-26 ; M. Kohli, op. cit., p. 7; B. J. Hasrat, op. cit., p. 54.
45 Ibid., pp; 25-26.
46 Ibid., p. 26.
47 M. Aris, op. cit., p. 23.
 22

In 1651, Imphal Dorje (1631-80) succeeded his father to the Golden Throne of
Bhutan. During his reign, . his daughter Tsokyi Dorje made a memorable impact on
Bhutan politics. As· he died in 1680 without a male heir, with his death ended the
legitimate Ralung branch. 48 In 1680, Lama Mera of Makto founded the famous Ganden
. 49
Namgyal Lhatre Monas in Tawang.
In 1700, taking advantage of the internal situation in Sikkim, the Sixth Deb,
Ngawn Tshering invaded Sikkim as far Rabdentre, the capital, and held the country for·
six years. In 1706, the seventh Deb Umze Pelzore evacuated the· part of Sikkim whlch
lies in the way of the Teesta river except certain areas in the south-east. 50 In 1714, the
country was invaded by Lajang Khan, the last of the Qosot Mongal ruler of Tibet (1697-
171 7) in retaliation for Bhutias pressure on the dGe-luga-pa stronghold on Tawang and
also strengthened his insecure position in Tibet. At that time, Druk Rabgye was the Deb
Raja of Bhutan (1707-1720). The invasion did not succeed and left the status quo
undisturbed. 51 During Rabgye's reign the incarnation of Je Kunga Gyltshen took place.
The Monk Body of Punakha wanted to install him as Shabdrung Rimpoche, or Dharma .
Raja, but the Deb Raja did not agree to it. Hence a civil war started between the Monk
Body and the Deb Raja .. The defiance to the incarnation proved fatel to Druck Rabgye,
. 52 .
who fled from the capital, but later he was captured and was sentenced to death.
In the meantime, in 1719, Druck Rabgye was succeeded by his nephew Ngag-
dbhang Rgya-mtsho. Forreason that are not clear, the uncle and nephew fell out with
each other and there followed a long and complicated civil war in western Bh~tan which
led to the invasion of the country by the Tibetan ruler Pho-Lha-nas in 1730. It was
perhaps the only successful invasion by the Tibetans against the J3hutias, andit led to a
formal acceptance of Manchu suzerainty in Bhutan (never implemented by the Chinese,
and soon repudiated by the Bhutanese) and to the establishment of regular diplomatic
mission to [Link] capital which eventually helped to place Bhutan on an independent.
footing, equal to that ofNepal and Ladakh in the Tibetan eyes. 53

48 R. Rahul, op. cit., p. 27.

49 Ibid., p. 29.
50 Ibid.
51 Ibid., pp. 29-30; M Aris, op. cit., p. 259; B. J. Hasrat, op. cit., p. 64.
52 B. J. Hasrat, op. cit., p. 65.
53 M. Aris, op; cit., p. 259.
 23

The effect of the civil war and the invasion on the country's own internal
constitution was in long run just as decisive. A peace settlement was concluded with the
help of the Karma-pa and Zhwa-dmar-pa Lamas. the Tibetan ruler arranged a temporary
division of the country ; the area of Paro was to remain in the hands of the Paro Penlop
Brug Don-grub, the ally of the Drug Rabge while the rest of the country was to remain
in the hands of the Bhutia government. It was agreed that this arrangement would
continue for as long as Brug Don-grub (also called Ka-spe Don-grub) remained alive;
thereafter, it was agreed that the Paro valley would revert to the central government and .
any of the supporter of 'Brug Don-grub' who wished to accept Tibetan refuge would
be free to do so. In the meantime, legitimacy of Shubdrung Phyoga-las Namgyal had
been impunged by the government faction that has defeated his late patron and he had
with great difficulty succeeded in escaping from the winter capital, Punakha. He fled to
the protected enclave of Penlop Brug-Don-grub in Paro and died there in 1736. Later
it is claimed that he would be reborn in the family of his new patron. The death was kept
secret for about a year and this allowed time for his disciples to find his incarnation,
Shakya bsTan-Dzin (1736-80). The child seems to have been the nephew of Brug Don-
grub, but the insecurity of his position became evident when Brug-grub himself died in
the same year. After his death, the Tibetan ruler agreed to take under his protection all
those loyal to the dead Pen lop when his area came back into the hands of the Bhutanese
government in accordance with the original peace settlement. Shkya bsTan-dzin, and his
mother, thereafter, made their way across the border to Phag-ri and from their they went
south to the outlying Bhutan under the control of Dalling Dzong in what is now in West
Bengal. Later they were permitted to return to central Bhutan where the young
54
'unofficial' Shubdrung ended up in imprisonment in Dar-dhar-nang.
In the meanwhile, a child was born at Grwa-nang in Tibet who was said to be

an incarnation of the un-named figure. The child was brought down to Bhutan by the
12th Deb Raja in 1744, and installed as Shabdrung or Dharma Raja 'Jigs-med Grags.,.
pa (1724-61). On the other hand, the 'unofficial'. Shabdrung Shakya bsTan-dzin was
released from imprisonment and accorded a position of respect. Thus in 1746, there were

54 Ibid., pp. 259-260.

 24

two Shabdrung in the Bhutanese capital. Thirteen years later, during the rule of the same
13th Deb Raja, the doctrine of multiple reincarnation took place. Hence- forth the
incarnation of Jigs-med Gran-pa reappearch as the Thugsprul (emboyding the 'mental'
principle of the Shabdrung). 55
Until the events of the early twentieth century Shabdrung or Zhafs-drung.
Thungs~Sprul (mental 'incarnations' of Sabodrung Ngawang Nangyal (1594-1651), the
Dharma Raja of British records) was to remain the one figure who could command the
universal allegiance of a sovereign. Samual Davis, who was, with Turner in Bhutan in
1783, noted in his journal that 2nd Shabdrung Thugs-Sprul, is without exception
acknowledged to have possessed an inherent right to the absolute dominion of the whole
country, and " .... the Deb Raja is no more than his prime minister, Wazir, or Dewan.
He went on, however, to say that .. .. the Raja would not be inclined to admit the
temporal control, or to share any part of the real authority with another, nor is it likely
the young Lama will at any time hereafter fmd himself in a condition to assert such a
claim."
Also there is little doubt that the policy of the Government will provide that he
still secluded from any interference in public concern and wholly confmed to the.
contemplation of his spiritual dignity. 56
On the otherhand, since the death of great Ngawang Namgyal till 1904, the
political history of Bhutan has been the history of the rivalry and struggle between the
two Pentops of Para and Tongso ; this rivalry and struggle also were filtering down the
local chiefs, and there was no strong central authority to control the country. The
unstable condition within Bhutan worsened the whole country. 57
In 1869, a civil war broke out in which the two Penlops rebelled against the
Deb Raja. It is seen that in 1853, Jigame Namgyal became the Tongso Pentop and also
Deb Raja in 1870, and was retired in 1873, after appointing his brother Kyitsalpa as the
Deb Raja who ruled till 1879 .. This shows that in the power struggle Tongso Pentop
emerged supreme. 58

55 Ibid., p. 261.
56 Ibid., pp. 261-262.
57 M. Kohli, op. cit., p. 7.
58 N. Das, The Dragon Country : A History of Bhutan, p. 34.
 25

In 1881, Uguyan Wangchuk, the son of Jigme Namgyal, the then Tongso Penlop
of Bhutan, became the Para Penlop and later the Tongs a Pentop in 1884. 59 He was able
to consolidate the state power in his hands and till 1907 he continued to be the de facto
ruler of Bhutan. Three years earlier, the Dharma Raja of Bhutan died in 1904. The
temporal affairs were managed by the Tongso Pentop and his Counci1. 60 In 1907, when
Chole Tullrn, the Deb Raja of Bhutan had resigned from the Deb Raja-ship, the monks
and ther chiefs unanimously decided to invite Sir Ugayan. In 1905, the British presented
Uguyan Wangchuk with the insignia of Knight, Commander of the Empire of India. to
become the hereditary king of Bhutan. 61
Uguyan Wangchuk accepted their invitation, thus a great socio-religious change
took place in the history of Bhutan and also ended the dual form of Government by the
Dharma and Deba Rajas ; the same two high officers came to be replaced by hereditary
kingship. After the death of Sir Ugayan Wangchuk in 1926, his .son Jigme Wangchuk
became the king of Bhutan. In March 1952 Jigme Wangchuk expired and the formal
installation of the king Jigme Dorji Wangchuk took place in October 1952. 62

59 Ibid., p. 35.
60 Ibid., p. 38.
61 G. N. Mehra, op. cit., p. 94.
62 M. Kohli, op. cit., p. 8.