Most Bhutanese know Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel as a religious leader and the founder of the nation. Yoshiro’s compelling and holistic portrayal of this highly accomplished religious master and shrewd political leader offers a rarely explored aspect of the most important historical figure in Bhutan. The book’s emphasis is on the battles over succession and the political machinations that followed his death and ultimately set the course for the next two centuries of Bhutanese history. Imaeda carefully traces how these political complexities lead to the legitimization of succession through reincarnation.

 This book is based on research Yoshiro Imaeda carried out for his PhD thesis published in French in 1987. The author, wishing to share his personal views of Zhabdrung’s legacy, decided to translate and reorganize his dissertation for a more general audience. Yoshiro Imaeda worked as an advisor to the National Library of Bhutan for ten years from 1981-1990 during which he acquired a deep appreciation for the people, their culture and beliefs.