Editing History of Bhutan (section)

===Arrival of Buddhism===
Buddhism was first introduced to Bhutan in the 7th century. Tibetan king [[Songtsän Gampo]]<ref name=Padel>{{cite book|title=Tigers in red weather: a quest for the last wild tigers |first=Ruth |last=Padel |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |year=2006 |isbn=0-8027-1544-3 |pages=139–40 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zYLJp0X04mUC |access-date=2011-08-21}}</ref> (reigned 627–649), a Buddhist convert, constructed 108 Buddhist temples in the Himalayan region, including a few temples at [[Bumthang (town)|Bumthang]] in central Bhutan, [[Haa District|Haa]], [[Lhuntse District|Lhuentse]] and at [[Kyichu Lhakhang|Kyichu]] (near [[Paro, Bhutan|Paro]]) in the [[Paro Valley]].<ref name=ab/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jambay Lhakhang, one of the Oldest Temples in Bhutan founded in 659 CE |url=https://bhutanpilgrimage.com/jambay-lhakhang-one-of-the-oldest-temples-in-bhutan-founded-in-659-ce/ |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=bhutanpilgrimage.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kyichu Lhakhang, the Sacred Jewel of Bhutan |url=https://bhutanpilgrimage.com/kyichu-lhakhang-the-sacred-jewel-of-bhutan/ |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=bhutanpilgrimage.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Buddhism was propagated in earnest<ref name=Padel/> in 746<ref name=Hattaway>{{cite book|title=Peoples of the Buddhist world: a Christian prayer diary|first=Paul |last=Hattaway |publisher=William Carey Library |year=2004 |isbn=0-87808-361-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OzEOKNPsv2EC |page=30 |access-date=2011-08-20}}</ref> under King Sindhu Rāja (''also'' Künjom;<ref name=Rennie>{{cite book|title=Bhutan: ways of knowing |first1=Frank |last1=Rennie |first2=Robin |last2=Mason |publisher=IAP |year=2008 |pages=18, 58 |isbn=978-1-59311-734-4 }}</ref> Sendha Gyab; Jakar Gyalpo), an exiled [[Indian people|Indian]] king who had established a government in Bumthang at [[Jakar]] Gutho Palace.<ref name=HBB>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yA9uAAAAMAAJ |title=History of Bhutan based on Buddhism |first=C. T. |last=Dorji |publisher=Sangay Xam, Prominent Publishers |year=1994 |isbn=81-86239-01-4 |access-date=2011-08-12}}</ref>{{rp|35}} <ref name=Harding>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlxdncBwpbgC |title=The life and revelations of Pema Lingpa |last1=Padma-gliṅ-pa |first1=(Gter-ston) |editor=Harding, Sarah |publisher=Snow Lion Publications |year=2003 |isbn=1-55939-194-4 |access-date=2011-08-10}}</ref>{{rp|13}}

Buddhism replaced but did not eliminate the [[Bon]] religious practices that had also been prevalent in Tibet until the late 6th century. Instead, Buddhism absorbed Bon and its believers. As the country developed in its many fertile valleys, Buddhism matured and became a unifying element. It was Buddhist literature and chronicles that began the recorded history of Bhutan.<ref name=ab>{{harvnb|Worden|1991|loc="Arrival of Buddhism"}}</ref>

In 810AD, a Buddhist saint, [[Padmasambhava]] (known in Bhutan as [[Guru Rimpoche]] and sometimes referred to as the Second Buddha), came to Bhutan from Nepal at the invitation of King Sindhu Rāja.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guru Rinpoche in Bhutan: His Visits to Bhutan and Sacred Sites |url=https://bhutanpilgrimage.com/guru-rinpoche-and-his-visit-to-bhutan/ |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=bhutanpilgrimage.com |language=en-US}}</ref> After reportedly subduing [[eight classes of gods and demons]] and converting the king, Guru Rimpoche moved on to Tibet. Upon his return from Tibet, he oversaw the construction of new monasteries in the [[Paro Valley]] and set up his headquarters in [[Bumthang (town)|Bumthang]]. According to tradition, he founded the [[Nyingmapa]] sect—also known as the "old sect" or Red Hat sect—of [[Mahayana Buddhism]], which became for a time the dominant religion of Bhutan. Guru Rimpoche plays a great historical and religious role as the national patron saint who revealed the [[tantra]]s—manuals describing forms of devotion to natural energy—to Bhutan. Following the guru's sojourn, Indian influence played a temporary role until increasing Tibetan migrations brought new cultural and religious contributions.<ref name=ab/>

There was no central government during this period. Instead, small independent monarchies began to develop by the early 9th century. Each was ruled by a deb (king), some of whom claimed divine origins. The [[kingdom of Bumthang]] was the most prominent among these small entities. At the same time, Tibetan Buddhist monks (lam in [[Dzongkha]], Bhutan's official national language) had firmly rooted their religion and culture in Bhutan, and members of joint Tibetan-Mongol military expeditions settled in fertile valleys. By the 11th century, all of Bhutan was occupied by Tibetan-Mongol military forces.<ref name=ab/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/columbiachronolo00john|url-access=registration|title=Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2000|isbn=0-231-11004-9|editor-last=Bowman|editor-first=John S.|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/columbiachronolo00john/page/385 385]}}</ref>