Celebrate 100 Years of Hereditary Monarchy
Celebrate 100 Years of Hereditary Monarchy of Exotic Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan with Phuensum Norgay Tours. l. Email us for Trip Details.

Bhutan was united for the first time under a single king, His majesty Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck monarchy in 1907, establishing the Wangchuck monarchy. In 2008, year long celebration will mark the centenary of monarchy in this last remaining Himalayan Buddhist kingdom.

Innovative programmes are being developed to take visitors through villages, live on farms, and mingle with school children. Village festivals, sacred and historical places will all be a part of the Bhutanese experience.

New treks and trails are being planned, including the Great Himalayan Trail that will take the adventurous right across the country over 45 days.

Countrywide Centenary celebration takes place on 17 December 2007.

	Sir Ugyen Wangchuck (1861–1926) The first king of Bhutan from 1907 to 1926. He was the penlop (governor) of Tongsa. From his power base in central Bhutan, Ugyen Wangchuck had defeated his political enemies and united the country following several civil wars and rebellions in 1882-1885. In what was an epochal year for the country, in 1907 Ugyen Wangchuck was unanimously chosen as the heredity king of the country by the people. For his services to the Francis Younghusband expedition to Lhasa, Tibet, he was knighted by the British in 1904.
	King Jigme Wangchuk (1902/1906 – March 30, 1952) The Second of king of Bhutan from August 21, 1926 until his death. Under his reign, Bhutan continued to maintain almost complete isolation from the outside world, with the United Kingdom, then the colonial power in India responsible for foreign affairs. This responsibility was transferred to India in 1949, shortly after that country gained independence. He was succeeded by his son, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk.
	King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk (May 2, 1929 – July 15/21, 1972) The third king of Bhutan. He ended his country’s isolation, introduced modernity, and took the first steps toward democratization. Upon succeeding his father, Jigme Wangchuck, on October 27, 1952, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck put an end to feudalism in the country and released all of the remaining serfs. He encouraged certain modern inventions to assist the local peasantry and introduced wheeled vehicles, where previously the transportation of crops and people was done manually.In 1959, the People’s Republic of China occupied Tibet, a country with which Bhutan had a long-established relationship. This encouraged the king to foster stronger ties with the outside world and culminated with Bhutan joining the United Nations in 1971. At the same time, he empowered the National Assembly to remove him and his successors with a two-thirds majority. King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck suffered his first heart attack at the age of twenty, and made frequent visits overseas for medical treatment. He died in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was receiving medical treatment in 1972, and was succeeded by his son, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
	Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuk (November 11, 1955 - ) is the fourth and present King of Bhutan. He was born November 11, 1955 and succeeded to the throne at the age of 17, in 1972, after the death of his father, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. He was formally crowned on June 2, 1974 in a coronation noted for inviting foreign dignitaries, thus signalling the end of the long isolation of the country. He is also called “Druk Gyalpo”, meaning “Dragon King”. He was educated in Bhutan and the UK. He has continued his father’s policies of slow modernisation while still trying to preserve Bhutanese culture. In 1988 he instituted the policy of Driglam Namzha (Etiquette and Manners) which required all citizens to wear traditional clothing while in public, and established the requirement of teaching Dzongkha (the national language) in schools. In 1998 he voluntarily reduced the scope of his absolute powers, and now formally rules with the advice of his government. In late 2003, he ordered Bhutan’s first military campaign in well over a century, to roust Assamese separatists who were using Bhutanese territory to launch raids against targets in India (see History of Bhutan). Campaigns have also been launched against Nepali separatists in the south of the country. By all accounts he maintains a simple lifestyle— preferring to work in a small log cabin above the capital, Thimphu, rather than in the fortress-like palace used by his four queens (all of whom are sisters) and the National Assembly. In the West he has become noted for his stated goal of seeking to maximize “Gross National Happiness” for his country rather than “Gross National Product”.
	5th King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk (February 21, 1980 - ) On December 17 2005 His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuk announced that from 2008 he will abdicate the throne to the Crown Prince of Bhutan . Celebrate 101 Years of Hereditary Monarchy of Exotic Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan with the people of Bhutan. Plan your holiday to Bhutan with Phuensum Norgay Tours & Treks to join the BIG CELEBRATIONS.