Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was born on May 2nd 1929. He ruled Bhutan as the Third Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) for twenty years from March 1952 until his death at the age of 43 from a heart condition in July 1972.
Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck is known as the Father of Modern Bhutan as he is credited with opening Bhutan to the outside world and beginning the modernisation of the Kingdom.
He is revered for bringing modernity to the Himalayan Kingdom while preserving Bhutanese culture.
He also initiated reforms that led a shift away from Bhutan being an absolute monarchy to parliamentary democracy.
“This is the 20th century,” the king once told a group of visiting Americans. “We are working to make sure that Bhutan truly belongs to this century.”
May 2nd is also celebrated as Teachers’ Day in Bhutan because it was the Third Druk Gyalpo who established a modern educational system in the country.