Editing History of Bhutan (section)

===Administrative integration and conflict with Tibet, 1651–1728===
To keep Bhutan from disintegrating, [[Ngawang Namgyal]]'s death in 1651 apparently was kept a carefully guarded secret for fifty-four years. Initially, Ngawang Namgyal was said to have entered into a religious retreat, a situation not unprecedented in Bhutan, Sikkim, or Tibet during that time. During the period of Ngawang Namgyal's supposed retreat, appointments of officials were issued in his name, and food was left in front of his locked door.<ref name=aict>{{harvnb|Worden|1991|loc="Administrative Integration and Conflict with Tibet, 1651–1728" (pp.&nbsp;257–258)}}</ref>

[[Ngawang Namgyal]]'s son and [[stepbrother]], in 1651 and 1680, respectively, succeeded him. They started their reigns as minors under the control of religious and civil regents and rarely exercised authority in their own names. For further continuity, the concept of multiple reincarnation of the first Zhabdrung—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-18th century, but speech and mind reincarnations, embodied by individuals who acceded to the position of [[Zhabdrung Rinpoche]], were  in the early 1990s. The compulsory admission to monastic life of at least one son from any family having three or more sons was instituted in the late 17th century. In time, however, the State Council became increasingly secular as did the successive Druk Desi, [[ponlop]], and [[dzongpon]], and intense rivalries developed among the ponlop of [[Trongsa Province|Tongsa]] and [[Paro Province|Paro]] and the [[dzongpon]] of [[Punakha Province|Punakha]], [[Thimphu Province|Thimphu]], and [[Wangdue Phodrang Province|Wangdue Phodrang]].<ref name=aict/>

During the first period of succession and further internal consolidation under the Druk Desi government, there was conflict with [[Tibet]] and [[Sikkim]]. Internal opposition to the central government resulted in overtures by the opponents of the Druk Desi to Tibet and Sikkim. In the 1680s, Bhutan invaded Sikkim in pursuit of a rebellious local lord. In 1700, Bhutan again invaded Sikkim, and in 1714 Tibetan forces, aided by [[Mongolia]], invaded Bhutan but were unable to gain control.<ref name=aict/>

====Bhutan exclaves in western Tibet====
During the 17th century Bhutan maintained close relations with [[Ladakh]], and assisted Ladakh in its 1684 war with Tibet. Ladakh had earlier granted Bhutan several [[enclave and exclave|enclaves]] near [[Mount Kailash]] in western Tibet; these were monasteries of the Southern branch of the Drukpa sect and so fell under the authority of the Bhutanese Je Khenpo and the Zhabdrung. These enclaves persisted under Bhutanese control even after the rest of western Tibet came under the control of the Dalai Lama and his Gelugpa sect, until 1959 when the Bhutanese enclaves were seized by the Chinese.<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|1977|pp=70, 80}}</ref> In addition to these outposts in Tibet, Bhutan for a time{{vague|date=June 2023}} held monastic fiefs in Ladakh, [[Zanskar]], and [[Lahul]] (now part of India), as well as in [[Lo Manthang]] and [[Dolpo]] (now part of Nepal).<ref>{{cite book |title=The Raven Crown: The Origins of Buddhist Monarchy in Bhutan |last=Aris |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Aris |publisher=Serindia Publications |location=Chicago |year=2005 |isbn=1-932476-21-0 |page=42 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Bhutan: The Early History of a Himalayan Kingdom |last=Aris |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Aris |publisher=Aris & Phillips Ltd. |location=Warminster, England |year=1979 |isbn=0-85668-082-6 |page=249 }}</ref>