Bhutan Genealogy

AsiaBhutanGuide to Bhutan, family history and genealogy parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Country Information
Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia at the eastern end of the Himalayas. It is bordered to the north by China and to the south, east and west by India. To the west, it is separated from Nepal by the Indian state of Sikkim, while farther south it is separated from Bangladesh by the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal. It's elevation ranges from semi-tropical lowland planes to the foothills of the Himalayas, with altitudes reaching to about 22,500 feet.

Business Week rated Bhutan the happiest country in Asia and the eighth-happiest in the world.

Stone tools, weapons, elephants, and remnants of large stone structures provide evidence that Bhutan was inhabited as early as 2000 BC, although there are no existing records from that time.

IN the middle ages, Bhutan existed as a patchwork of minor warring tribes until the early 17th century. At that time the lama (who was the religious leader) and military leader Ngawang Namgyal, the first Zhabdrung Rinpoche, who was fleeing religious persecution in Tibet, unified the area and cultivated a distinct Bhutanese identity. In the early 20th century, Bhutan came into contact with the British Empire and retained strong bilateral relations with India upon its independence.

In 2008, Bhutan made the transition from being an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, and held its first general election.

Vajrayana Buddhism is the major religion, and was first introduced to Bhutan in the 7th century AD. by the Tibetan king Songtsän Gampo. (reigned 627–649), a convert to Buddhism, who actually had extended the Tibetan Empire into Sikkim and Bhutan. He ordered the construction of two Buddhist temples, at Bumthang in central Bhutan and at Kyichu (near Paro) in the Paro Valley. Buddhism was propagated in earnest in 746] under King Sindhu Rāja Sendha Gyab; Chakhar Gyalpo), an exiled Indian king who had established a government in Bumthang at Chakhar Gutho Palace.

Bhutan Clickable Map
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Jurisdictions
20 Jurisdictions:

FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in resourcing your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
 * Historical Records
 * Family History Center locator map