4th King Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuk.( Dharma King)

 

                                          4th king Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye wangchuk

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth ruler of Bhutan, born in 1955 in Dechencholing palace, Thimphu ascended the throne when he was just 17 years old, making him the youngest monarch in the world then.

The King had received a modern education when he was a child as he studied in India and the United Kingdom. He was very close to his father, often accompanying him on tours to remote parts of Bhutan. Through those experiences, he was able to gain first-hand knowledge of Bhutan and its people. During his reign, he continued with the phase of modernization and socio-economic reforms that his father had set in motion.

The King continued to establish international relations, joining many regional cooperative bodies and making itself heard in the United Nations, cementing the nation’s independent and sovereign status.
The King also kickstarted the process of decentralizing his power, and in 1998, the role of Prime Minister was created. In 2006, the King announced that the time had come for a democratic government. He researched the constitutions of more than 50 nations, seeking comments from the public and consulted with the 20 Dzongkhags (Bhutan’s administrative and judicial districts).

Two years after the King’s reign had ended, the Constitution was enacted in 2008 according to his vision and elections were held in the same year, giving birth to a new system of governance.

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck was also the creator of the world-renowned "Gross National Happiness" philosophy. The GNH philosophy focuses on measuring the country's progress and development more holistically by focusing on balancing the people's physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological well-being. Bhutan created a metric to measure the Bhutanese's quality of life in terms of happiness.

During King Jigme Singye Wangchuck's reign, Bhutan’s economic progress accelerated as he established industries in raw materials, agriculture and hydropower. Extensive roads were built to connect the country from one to the other.

The King, believing in the importance of education, sent many students to pursue an overseas education while Bhutan continue to create more schools for the students.

It was also during his reign that the country’s first airline, Drukair, was birthed. Thus, Bhutan first opened its doors to foreign tourists in 1974. However, being aware of the effects of mass tourism, the far-sighted King also promulgated the "High value, low volume' tourism policy that's implemented in Bhutan today.

His love for his country was further evidenced when he personally led an army in 2003 and successfully flushed out insurgents from India who had established several powerful bases in the Bhutanese forests. The successful operation surprised the world as the militants were flushed out in three days.

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck created history when he became the first King in Bhutan to abdicate his throne to his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in 2006.