For the early explorers and envoys of the British government who ventured into this fabled land, it was Bootan, their reports ringing with strength and marvelous name rendered in imaginative phonetic spellings the ancient Buddhist writers called their fertile neighbor "Lho Mon" or "Mon Yul", Paradise of the South, Land of the Mons. To the inhabitants it is not Bhutan at all, but Druk or Druk Yul, Land of the thunder dragon. From the available "Namthar" and artifacts surviving in a few ancient monasteries, the prehistoric era of Bhutan can still be traced to somewhere between 500 and 600 A.D. As a landlocked country, the history of Bhutan has always been influenced by its geography. Bhutan 's historical legends, however, begin with the visit of Guru Padmasambhava, who is believed to have come from Tibet in 747 A.D.

From then on, the Buddhist faith has played a large part in shaping the course of this country's history. Although Bhutan was not unified under a central authority until the 17th century, evidence strongly suggests that it had existed as an independent entity from at least the 7th century on. Its formidable geographic boundaries kept it free of foreign authority and allowed it to develop a strong degree of common identity despite the ethnic and linguistic diversity of its inhabitants. The 17th century witnessed the unification of Bhutan under the charismatic Nawang Namgyal who took the honorary title of Shabdrung. In 1865, the Penlop of Tongsa named Jigme Namgyel became the strong man of Bhutan and bequeathed his son Ugyen Wangchuk that position. And then came a series of rulers under whose guidance Bhutan has grown from strength to strength.