Subsequent to introduction of the Drukpa Kargyu lineage by Lama Phajo and Zhabdrung acquiring the Dzong in 1641, the Dzong was renamed as Tashichhoe Dzong.

In the 12th century, the Drukpa Kagyupa school was established and remains the dominant form of Buddhism in Bhutan today.

Changangkha Lhakhang is one of the oldest temples in the Thimphu valley, having been built in the 15th century by a descendant of Phajo Drugom Shigpo, the founder of the Drukpa school in Bhutan.

Within the Drukpa Lineage, there are further sub-schools, most notably the eastern Kham tradition and middle Drukpa school which prospered in Ladakh and surrounding areas.

In Bhutan the Drukpa Lineage is the dominant school and state religion.

His rival, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, was then invited to Western Bhutan and eventually he unified the entire country and established Drukpa as the preeminent Buddhist school from Haa all the way to Trongsa.

However, it can also be argued that as indicated by the fact the 15th Karmapa was appointed by the 9th Druckchen Rinpoche of the Drukpa Kagyu school, respected high teachers from other lineages have been relied upon to confirm recognitions.

Sengge Namgyal, who ruled Ladakh from 1616 – 1623 and 1624 – 1642, was a devotee of the Ralung lineage of the Drukpa Kagyu school.

Image: Druk white lotus school gya. jpg | His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, Jigme Pema Wangchen ( born 1963 )

Ngalops largely follow Tibetan Buddhism, particularly the Drukpa Kagyu school that is the state religion of Bhutan.

Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal was born at Ralung, Tibet as the son of the Drukpa lineage holder Mipham Tenpai Nyima () ( 1567 – 1619 ), and Sonam Pelkyi Butri (), daughter of the ruler of Kyisho () in Tibet.

In his youth Ngawang Namgyal was enthroned as the Eighteenth Drukpa or throne-holder and " hereditary prince " of the traditional Drukpa seat and estate of Ralung () and recognized there as the immediate reincarnation of the Fourth Gyalwang Drukchen (), the " Omniscient " Pema Karpo () ( 1527 – 1592 ).

The traditional name of the country since the seventeenth century has been Drukyul — country of the Drukpa, the Dragon people, or the Land of the Thunder Dragon, a reference to the country's dominant Buddhist sect.

Ladakh had earlier granted Bhutan several enclaves near Mount Kailash in western Tibet ; these were monasteries of the Drukpa sect and so fell under the authority of the Bhutanese Je Khenpo and the Shabdrung.

The 13th century Tibetan monk Gyalwa Yang Gönpa, who was one of the significant figures in the early Drukpa Kagyu sect, writes about ma ning as a balanced state between maleness and femaleness.

From this incident they named their sect Drukpa.

Later he would conquer and unify all of Bhutan, but would allow the ancient Nyingma sect to continue in central and eastern Bhutan ( today the Nyingma comprise approximately 30 % of Bhutan's monks even though they are privately funded while the Southern Drukpa Kagyu is supported as the established state religion of Bhutan ).

The sitting Je Khenpo is also formally the leader of the southern branch of the Drukpa Kagyu sect, which is part of the Kagyu tradition of Himalayan Buddhism.

Inside the courtyard is a gallery, illustrating the leaders of the Drukpa Kagyupa lineage.

The monastery, which is now a major teaching and retreat centre of the Southern Drukpa Kagyu order, is located at the northern end of Thimphu Valley, about from the capital.

The reason for declaring the takin as a National Animal of Bhutan on 25 November 2005 ( Budorcas taxicolor ) is attributed to a legend of the animal's creation in Bhutan in the 15th century by Lama Drukpa Kunley.

The influence of Drukpa Buddhism and Buddhist music on Bhutanese culture is important.

It is a religious folk dance form of Drukpa Buddhism, which was established in 1670.

Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion and the dominant ethnic group is Drukpa of Kagyu Buddhism, while in southern Bhutan Hindus of Nepali ethnicity are dominant.

Bhutanese musicians include: Jigme Drukpa, who is also a leading Bhutanese musicologist.

The flag is based upon the tradition of the Drukpa Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and features Druk, the Thunder Dragon of Bhutanese mythology.

It is supported by the state and given unconditional effort by all involved, from the lowest rung to the highest level .< ref > The Drukpa lineage goes around the world.

The Lho Drukpa ( Southern Drukpa ) are led by the Je Khenpo ( an elected office, not a tulku lineage ), who is the chief abbot of the Central Monk Body.

The influence of Drukpa Buddhism and Buddhist music on Bhutanese culture is such that many folk songs and chanting styles are derived from Drukpa music.

Drukpa or Bhutanese language is the national and official language of Bhutan.

Regarding the origin of the term ' Lepcha ' writes Sailen Debnath " The word ' Lepcha ', most probably a geo-racial term, is phonetically an elongated and much evolved form of the Bhutanese Dzongkha word ( even might be of Chhokey origin ) “ La – chhu ” which the Drukpa Bhutanese might have used to geographically identify the early people of Sikkim and Kalimpong in the bygone ages of their long connection with Tibet via the Chumbey Valley since the time of Sabdrung Nagawang Namgyal, the founding father of Drug-Yul.

Among the so-called " four major and eight minor " Kagyu lineages, Drikung Kagyu is one of four Kagyu lineages that continue to exist as independent institutions ( the other three being, Karma Kagyu, Drukpa Kagyu and Taklung Kagyu ).

The Drukpa Lineage was divided from that time on into the Northern Drukpa, or Chang Druk ( Dzongkha: བ ྱ ང ་ འབ ྲུ ག ་; Wylie: Byang -' Brug ) branch in Tibet headed by the Gyalwang Drukpa and the Southern Drukpa, or Lho Druk ( Dzongkha: ལ ྷོ་ འབ ྲུ ག ་; Wylie: Lho -' Brug ), based in Bhutan and headed by the Shabdrung incarnations.

There are a further eight minor sub-sects, all of which trace their root to Pagtru Kagyu and the most notable of which are the Drikung Kagyu and the Drukpa Kagyu.

It belongs to the Drukpa Kagyu School

It was at Chagri in 1623 that he established the first Drukpa Kagyu monastic order in Bhutan.

In the 13th century, it was visited by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, the Tibetan Lama who first established the Drukpa Kagyu tradition in Bhutan.

The Constitution of Bhutan provides for a government consisting of three main branches – executive, legislative, and judicial – plus the officially apolitical Dratshang Lhentshog ( Monastic Affairs Commission ) of the Drukpa Kagyu state religion.

* The Drukpa Kagyu " Six Spheres of Equal Taste " tradition-Tsangpa Gyare founded this tradition which encompasses a range of practices, including the Six Yogas of Naropa.

Unlike the dzongs built under the direction of the Shabdrung for defensive purposes, Dobji dzong was constructed to serve a religious purpose, marking the spot where Ngawang Chogyel < cite >"... followed a spring water which originated from beneath the throne of Jetsun Milarepa in Druk Ralung to find a suitable site for establishing a center to propagate Drukpa Kagyu teachings in Bhutan "</ cite >.

****** Drukpa Kagyu

Ole and Hannah Nydahl's first Buddhist teacher was the Drukpa Kagyu master Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche.

The first temple was built in 1543 by the Drukpa Kagyu lama, Ngagi Wangchuk, who was the great-grandfather of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the person who unified Bhutan.

Gyaltsab Rinpoche recognised the 7th and 13th Karmapas, and the 15th Karmapa was recognised by the 9th Drukchen of the Drukpa Kagyu.

The Drukpa Kagyu, the Lhapa Kagyu and the Nenyingpa had all controlled parts of western Bhutan since the 12th century.

One of them, Tagna or " Tiger's Nose " monastery established by Choje Mukzinpa, became the main seat of the Southern Drukpa Kagyu tradition in Ladakh.

Category: Drukpa Kagyu lamas