Available Online at http://www.recentscientific.com International Journal of CODEN: IJRSFP (USA) Recent Scientific

International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Research Vol. 12, Issue, 01 (E), pp. 40718-40721, January, 2021 ISSN: 0976-3031 DOI: 10.24327/IJRSR Research Article

DEVELOPMENT OF THE WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF FROM COLONIAL TO POST-COLONIAL PERIOD

Ananta Das

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijrsr.2021.1201.5751

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

The small Himalayan nation of Bhutan has attracted considerable international attention due to its Article History: unique development with the assistance of India. Gradually, India was leading contribution to build th Received 06 October, 2020 up the Bhutan as a great peaceful nation with provide knowledge of technology, biomedicine and th Received in revised form 14 Foods. However, the process of democratisation in Bhutan is confronted by several internal socio- November, 2020 cultural, political and economic forces. This paper tries to understand the major development of rd Accepted 23 December, 2020 Bhutan with the assistant of India from Colonial to post-colonial period, the present paper tries to th Published online 28 January, 2021 read the two contradictory images that were being produces by two government reports to understand the dichotomy over the several causes of development of Bhutan as a peaceful country in Key Words: the . The Political development brings by the assistant of India.

Commercialism, Relation, Development, Methodology of the study: Method of the writing of this paper is descriptive with applying Treaty, Colonialism, Biomedicine, Post- historical analysis. Data has been collected from different secondary sources like books, research colonialism. papers, research thesis, newspapers, souvenirs etc.

Copyright © Ananta Das, 2021, this is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons

Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is

properly cited.

INTRODUCTION Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of Indian and King Jigme DorjiWangchuck of Bhutan, gave a new thrust to this ancient Bhutan, a landlocked multi-ethnic country, situated in the lap relationship. With the sensitivity, wisdom and vision, they of the , has drawn the attention of social scientists forged new bonds of trust and confidence. Relation between the around the world mainly because of its ongoing developmental two countries have reached new heights of amity and activities, cultural nationalism and the process of cooperation under their able successors. The first significant democratisation. Democratisation in Bhutan was initiated by event after the departure of the British from India was the the monarchy itself in the second half of the twentieth century conclusion on an equal footing by India and Bhutan of a Treaty when its neighbours initiated the policies for socioeconomic of Friendship on the 8th August, 1949. This treaty laid down the and political modernisation. India’s independence in 1947 and basic framework for a mutually beneficial relationship between its planned development strategy plus the emergence of the two independent States (Letho, 1994). communist People’s Republic of in 1949 and its move towards a new identity induced King Dorji Wangchuk (1952- The Geo-Political and Geo-strategic position of Bhutan a 1972) to initiate a policy of political and economic landlocked Himalayan Kingdom covering area of 46000 sq km. modernisation in Bhutan (Barman, 2009). Its maximum extent (East-West) of 300 km and maximum depth (North-South) of 170 km. Bhutan shares common Bhutan is situated to the south of the Tibetan Autonomous borders with India and China, two giant nations in the post- Region of China, bordering the , and Assam second World War (1939-1945 AD) scenario. In addition to it, region of India. The current population of ca. 1.2 million, most it is situated in close proximity to and Bangladesh with of Tibetan Buddhist and become the first ruler of the modern some geo-strategic possibilities. The northern part of Bhutan Bhutan. Relation between India and Bhutan during the past lies within the Great Himalayas. In some places the mountain four decades is a model of good neighborly relationship. It is an ranges have a height of more than twenty-four thousand feet. In ideal example of what enlightened and far-sighted leadership summer, valleys at elevations of twelve thousand feet are used can achieve. It is rare in this world for a big country like India for grazing. The Black Mountain range forms the watershed and a small neighbor like Bhutan to develop such close and between the Sankos and the Manas rivers. It divides Bhutan friendly relations. The age-old ties between India and Bhutan into two geographic sub divisions both administratively and has been condition by bonds of shared history, geography, ethnographically. In Tongsa to the east the people hail from religion, culture and tradition. Two towering statemen, Prime hills of Assam. To the west in Paro the population is

*Corresponding author: Ananta Das International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Vol. 12, Issue, 01 (E), pp. 40718-40721, January, 2021 predominantly Tibetan in origin. A number of broad fertile May 1774 for via Bhutan. The aim of the mission was to valleys of central Bhutan constitute the cultural and economic report on both countries, to establish commercial links between core of the kingdom. These valleys are located at elevations Bhutan and Bengal, and to explore the possibility of a trade from five thousand to nine thousand feet. Among these the route through Bhutan to Tibet. Bogle and Hamilton reached Paro, Thimpu and Punakha valleys are well-known. Tashilhunpo, the home of the Panchen Lama, in December 1774 and stayed there for five months. Following Bogle’s The southern section of Bhutan slopes into Dooars plain. return correspondence between Hastings and the Lama Rainfall is excessive in this region. The hill sides have rich continued through the intermediary of Purangir, a Hindu vegetation. The narrow strip of Dooars plain have eighteen gosain, or pilgrim. Hamilton returned to Bhutan in 1775–1776 strategic passes through the Himalayan foot hills which lead and 1777 to strengthen contacts made with the Bhutanese and into mountainous central Bhutan. Most of the inhabitants in to mediate on frontier problems. In 1779 Hastings proposed central and northern Bhutan cling to Tibetan culture. The large sending Bogle on a second mission to Tibet in the hope that the number of Nepali settlers in southern Bhutan is Hindus. “In Panchen Lama might be able to assist in arranging a British eastern Bhutan culture has been considerably modified by the mission to Peking. This plan was thwarted by the deaths of the intrusion of elements from the Indo Mongoloid culture of Panchen Lama in Peking in 1780 and Bogle in the following Assam Himalayas”. The fixed facts of geography have given year. shape to fluid facts of politics in Indo-Bhutan relations through the ages. Later that year Cooch Behar, a small state on the southern borders of Bhutan, appealed to the Company for help against Indo-Bhutan Relation and Conflict with British Power the invading Bhutanese. The successful campaign waged by the The English was founded in 1600 and Company, and the intervention by the Panchen Lama of Tibet established itself in India soon afterwards. In 1765 the on behalf of the Bhutanese, led to the Bogle Mission to Bhutan Company took over the control of Bengal thus expanding its and Tibet in 1774 and the Turner Mission in 1783. Following territory to the borders of the Himalayan area. This marked the the conclusion of the first Anglo-Bhutanese War1, Bhutan was beginning of the development of relations with the Himalayan visited by several envoys of the East India Company—Bogle in States and Tibet, although information on these areas had been 1774, Alexander Hamilton in 1775 and 1777, and Turner in collected earlier by some agents of the Company such as John 1783. With the departure of from India active Marshall. Although the first contact came through the survey relations with Bhutan virtually ceased until the British work of James Rennell, who penetrated to the borders of occupation of Assam in 1826. In this period Thomas Manning Bhutan in 1766, the early interest of the Company in the area passed through Bhutan on his way to Lhasa2 in 1811and Kishen was commercial. Its acquisition of Bengal coincided with the Kant Bose, an Indian official in the Company’s service, went conquest of most of Nepal by the Hindu Gurkhas under on a mission to Bhutan in 1815. The occupation of Assam in Prithvinarayan Shah. In 1767 Prithvinarayan invaded the 1826 greatly extended Britain’s frontier with Bhutan and from Newar States of the Nepal Valley which had close ties with this time border disputes and incidents occurred in both the Tibet. The resulting military operations and siege effectively Bengal and Assam Duars. There was also continuous internal disrupted the trans-Himalayan trade which passed through the strife within Bhutan. Missions were sent to Bhutan in 1837- Nepal Valley. The expedition was a failure, and the proposed 1838 under Captain R.B. Pemberton, and in 1863-1864 under commercial mission of James Logan to Nepal two years later Ashley Eden, but both ended in failure (Marshall, 2005). was abandoned with the fall of Kathmandu in 1769. The Indo- The ill treatment of the Eden Mission was the immediate cause Tibetan trade route through the Nepal Valley was now virtually of the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Bhutanese War3 in 1864. closed and the Company began to look towards Bhutan and During the colonial period, Indo-Bhutan Duars War (1864- Assam in the hope of finding alternative routes to Tibet. 1865), the Treaty of Sinchula was signed in 1865, the north- Warren Hastings began his administration of Bengal in April eastern part of present-day Bengal Duars region was annexed 1772. to Bengal from Bhutan (Debnath, 2010).This was the last major The outbreak of war between Bhutan and Cooch Behar led disagreement between the British and Bhutanese although for indirectly to the first English mission to Tibet. In 1772, most of the rest of the nineteenth century Bhutan’s internal following frequent border incidents and the abduction of their history was unsettled with feuds between the TongsaPenlop Raja by the Bhutanese, Cooch Behar appealed to the Company and Paro Penlop and by civil wars. During this period the for help offering half their state revenues in return. Hastings British maintained a policy of non-interference in Bhutan’s agreed to the offer and, on the understanding that the state internal affairs. Eventually the TongsaPenlop, Ugyen would accept annexation to Bengal, sent a force to Cooch Wangchuk, emerged as the undisputed leader of Bhutan. He Behar under the command of Captain John Jones in December became a close ally of the British and accompanied the Young 1772. Alarmed by the British successes in Bhutan both the husband Mission to Tibet in 1903–1904 (Marshall, 2005).

Ghurkhas and the Bhutanese authorities appealed to the Establishment of Bhutan Panchen Lama to intercede with the British. The traditional structure of Bhutanese polity is based on The Panchen Lama wrote to Hastings but hostilities had ceased monarchical traditions. Although the present monarchy of before the letter was received in Calcutta on March 29, 1774 Bhutan was established in 1907 by the British4, its history can and a treaty was concluded in the following month. The letter be traced back to the 17th century. In 1616, Shabdrung did, however, provide Hastings with the opportunity to Ngawang Namgyal, a monk from Tibet, established his rule in establish contact with Tibet and a mission led by George Bogle Bhutan. He unified the Bhutanese territory with a dual system and accompanied by Dr Alexander Hamilton left Calcutta in of governance (spiritual and administrative). The religious and 40719 | P a g e Ananta Das., Development of The Bhutan With The Assistance of India From Colonial To Post-Colonial Period state affairs were divided between the Dhrama Raja and the Menjong – the ‘Southern Valleys of Medicinal Herbs’. The Devaraja. However, after the death of Shabdrung in 1652, this transmission and promulgation of the elite traditions of the system unleashed a civil war between various sects that was to Gyu-shi in Bhutan is attributed to Tenzing Drugyal, the last for two centuries. In 1907, Ugyen Wangchuck, the personal physician of the Bhutanese founder, Ngawang provincial governor of the Drukpa Kargyupa school of Tibetan Namgyal, and the tradition is thus accepted as deriving from Buddhism, consolidated his power over the country and Tibet. But, although individual Bhutanese medical practitioners established the hereditary monarchy. It was not an absolutist did travel to Tibet to study medicine, the Bhutanese medical monarchy, and neither Ugyen Wangchuk (1907-1926), nor his tradition developed independently from that of Tibet. There are son Jigme Wangchuk (1926-1952), nor his grandson Dorji variations of practice, belief, and culture and their elite system Wangchuk (1952-1972) enjoyed absolute power. In fact, to is not thought of as ‘Tibetan medicine’ by the Bhutanese, but as appease a decentralised and increasingly restless spiritual order, sowarigpa. One notable structural difference between the Dorji Wangchuk decreed in 1968 that the king would abdicate Tibetan and Bhutanese medical systems was that medicine was in favour of his oldest son if the tshogdu (national assembly) not normally a monastic practice in Bhutan. Professional gave him a vote of no confidence by a two thirds majority. It family lineages of doctors seem to have constituted the bulk of was Dorji Wangchuk who started the process of political the elite practitioners, and while monks might on occasion modernisation, and in 1953, he initiated one of the most make offerings to the Medicine Buddha, they did not normally important constitutional reforms in Bhutanese history with the practice medicine (McKay, 2007). establishment of the National Assembly of 150 members While biomedical practice in Bhutan was introduced by IMS (Barman, 2009). physicians, Christian missionaries contributed to the awareness Development of Biomedicine in Bhutan of biomedicine there through their dispensaries in and around the Bhutanese frontier. But their greatest By the late 1940s, Biomedicine was firmly established in contribution, particularly in regard to the indigenisation of Sikkim and was attracting ever-growing numbers of patients to biomedicine in Bhutan, came in regard to that biomedical the IMS dispensaries in central Tibet. But in Bhutan, stepping-stone, Western education. Bhutan, like Tibet, had Biomedicine still remained largely unknown and it was only in been visited by 18th-century Jesuit missionaries before closing the post-colonial period that any Biomedical structures develop its borders to outsiders. But following the establishment of a there (McKay,2007). However, the Calcutta Medical College Christian base in Kalimpong (which had been part of Bhutan (1835) Led to the Rise of Biomedicine in India. Its resulted in when it was annexed by the British under the Treaty of the British colonial government explicitly and officially Sinchula in 1865), Bhutan became a prime target for the recognising only 'Western medicine' for all administrative and missionaries planning the expansion of Christianity into the bureaucratic affairs. The imperial relationship with Bhutan was Himalayas. thus rather different from Sikkim and Tibet. Sikkim was strategically important as the gateway to Tibet and beyond, and Development of Political Relation with India with their regional Political Officer resident in Gangtok the The first significant event after the departure of the British British inevitably became involved in the internal affairs of from India was the conclusion on an equal footing by India and Sikkim, including the development of public health measures. Bhutan of a treaty of Friendship on the 8th August, 1949. This Tibet was a foreign power and biomedical initiatives were part treaty laid down the basic framework for a mutually beneficial of the political strategy of developing friendly relations with relationship between two independent States. Prime Minister them. But being of no strategic value, and as a stable and Nehru spelt out his perception of Indo-Bhutan relations in the secure ‘buffer state’ whose foreign affairs were under British course of speech in Paro in 1958 in following eloquent words: control, Bhutan was largely left to its own devices. No imperial “Some may think that since India is a great and powerful officials or military forces were ever stationed there, and as a country and Bhutan a small one, the former might wish to result, Bhutan received very little support in matters such as the exercise pressure on Bhutan. It is, therefore, essential that I modernisation of its medical world, with the establishment of make it clear to you that our only wish is that you should biomedicine largely a post-colonial process. In 1928, British remain an independent country, choosing your own way of life, attitudes to Bhutan were unkindly, but fairly accurately and taking the path of progress according to your will. At the summed up in the Sikkim (Sikkim Gazetteer). same time, we two should live with mutual goodwill. We are European language accounts of indigenous medical practice in members of the same Himalayan family and should live as premodern Bhutan are almost non-existent. As in Tibet and friend neighbours helping each other. Freedom of both Bhutan Sikkim, the British doctors wrote little or nothing about it and and India should be safeguarded so that none from outside can- the few references by European travellers are brief and do harm to it” (Letho, 1994). In early time of Bhutan totally superficial. Thus, we are awaiting studies of indigenous sources dependent on India for various purpose. This help benefitted to to shed more light on the pre-modern Bhutanese medical world. Bhutan for long time. It appears, however, that the situation there prior to the The visit of an Indian planning Commission team to Paro in introduction of biomedicine was similar to that of Sikkim and 1961 initiated the process of India’s deep involvement in Tibet. There was no public health system and while the elite Bhutan’s development. Six Five Year Plans and a country-wide medical tradition of sowarigpa was known and practised, the infrastructure of roads, school, farms, industries and power majority of the population relied on local and village level projects testify to India’s generous commitment to Bhutan’s healers. Their treatments were primarily based on the wide advancement. Today, India continues to be the most important variety of medicinal herbs traditionally found there, with partner in the economic development. In 1971, Bhutan received Bhutan referred to in early Tibetan sources as Lhojong Indian’s genuine and whole-hearted support for its admission to 40720 | P a g e International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Vol. 12, Issue, 01 (E), pp. 40718-40721, January, 2021 the United Nation. Thereafter Bhutan for has gradually Treaty of Sinchula, wich brought Bhutan under British broadened its international horizons through formal diplomatic influence. They agreed to refer frontier disputes to the relations with other friendly countries (Letho, 1997). Now, British and ceded lowland territory to the imperial Bhutan stands firmly by India’s side as a good friend and government in return for an annual subsidy. among the two nation with peace. 2. Despite Tibetan opposition attempts were made to enter Tibet from China, as well as from the Indian side of the In the time of Prime minister Indira Gandhi 1984, she Tibetan border. Few of these travellers were successful maintained good friendship with Bhutan and Bhutanese in penetrating far into the country, and the only peoples. Both king of Bhutan Jigme Dorji Wangchuk and King Europeans to reach Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, in the Jigme Singye Wangchuk had developed an extraordinarily nineteenth century were Thomas Manning in 1811 and close personal relationship with her. The news of Indira Huc and Gabet, two French Lazarist priests, in 1846. Gandhi’s death plunged the kingdom in grief. Flags were flown 3. A name formerly given to the portion of the district at half-mast for twenty-one days and memorial services were lying to the east of the Tisa, which was wrested from held in temples and monasteries throughout the kingdom for Bhutan by the war of 1864-65. An old Bhutanese fort forty-nine days. This thinking and relation bring a good situated in the south-east of the Kalingpong tract to the massage in the world politics. After the few years late two-time east of the Tista. The fort, which was stormed by the prime minister Rajiv Gandhi visit to Bhutan in 1985and 1988 British troops in the Bhutanese war of 1864-65, is gave the excellent relation. In 1985, he addresses to a specially situated at a height of 3350 feet above sea-level on a convened session of the National Assembly, once again lofty eminence overlooking the Duars. It has been reiterated India’s sentiments for Bhutan by recalling the dismantled, and only a few picturesque ruins remain eloquent speech of his grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru made at (O’Malley,1907). Paro in 1958. After the few years later, in 1988 President Mr. 4. After the establishment of British colonial power in R. Venkataraman paid a visit to Bhutan. In this visit highlight India, the British Indian government sent several the inauguration the chukha Hydel Project which was political missions to Bhutan and Tibet. Several conflicts constructed with the generous technical and financial assistance broke out between Bhutan and British-ruled India, but by India. In march 1990, Mr. Arun Kumar Nehru Ministry of Bhutan never became part of the British empire. Commerce and Tourism of India paid a visit to Bhutan during which Trade and commerce Agreement between the two Reference countries was renewed for a period of another five years. In July 1990 Mr. Arif M. Khan ministry of civil aviation and 1. Sarkar, Tuhina. “India-Bhutan Relations”, The Indian Journal Energy visited Bhutan during which a protocol on Chukha of Political Science, vol. 73, no. 2, 2012. Tariff was signed between the two Government (Letho, 1997). 2. Maung Aung, Htin. “A History of Burma”, New York and : Cambridge University Press,1967. 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Indo-Bhutan relation was highlighted the good understanding 4. Mitra, Debamitra. “Indo Bhutan relations since 1947”, PhD among them, Bhutan Majesty exchanged views with the thesis submitted in the Department of History at University of Calcutta, West Bengal, 2001. President of India, the Prime Minister of India, the Vice- 5. Letho, Dasho K., and Dasho Karma. “Indo-Bhutan Relation”, President of India and Prime Minister. Bhutan Majesty and Indian Journal of Asian Affairs, vol. 7, no. 1, 1994, pp. 53–58. prime minister both expressed compete mutual trust and 6. McKay, Alex. “Bhutan: A Later Development.” Their understanding for the preparation of a detailed project report Footprints Remain: Biomedical Beginnings Across the Indo- for the 1520MW Sankosh Multi-purpose Project in the Tibetan Frontier, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam, presence of his Majesty the King and the Prime Minister 2007, pp. 173–204. Narasimha Rao was a landmark in the development of closer 7. O’Malley, L.S.S. “Bengal District Gazetteer Darjeeling”, economic cooperation between India and Bhutan. The Logos Press, 1907. President and prime mister accepted the Kings invitation to 8. Gazetteer, “Report of the Duars Committee”, Printed at the Eastern Bengal and Assam Government Press, Shilong, 2010. visit Bhutan at their convenience. 9. Hayden, Anders. “Bhutan: Blazing a Trail to a Postgrowth CONCLUSIONS Future? Or Stepping on the Treadmill of Production?” The Journal of Environment & Development, vol. 24, no. 2, 2015, Indo-Bhutan Relation from colonial period to post-colonial pp. 161–186. period a very special feeling of affection, understanding and 10. Beverley, H. “Census of Bengal”, Printed at the Bengal trust which exists between the leaders of the two countries. Secretariat Press, Calcutta, 1872. This relation prospects the extremely bright. In recent time this 11. Published under the authority of his majesty’s secretary of state for India in Council, “The Imperial gazetteer of India”, two-nation deepening and broadening of friendly and At the Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1909. cooperative relation which exist so happy between India and 12. “Official Standard names Gazetteer India Volume-I” approved Bhutan. by the United States Board on Geographic Name, Washington D.C, 1952. Notes 13. Barman, Rup Kumar. “Ethnic Mosaic and the Cultural 1. After visits by the Tibet-bound Bogle and Hamilton in Nationalism of Bhutan.” Identity in Crossroad Civilisations: 1774-75 and Turner and Saunders in 1783, Bhutan like Ethnicity, Nationalism and Globalism in Asia, edited by Erich Tibet closed its frontiers to Europeans in 1792. Relation Kolig et al., Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam, 2009, between Bhutan and British then deteriorated and war pp. 55–64. brock out in 1864-65. In the campaign ended with 40721 | P a g e