, administrative headquarters of Paro Province Under Bhutan's early theocratic
dual system of government, decreasingly effective central government control resulted in the
de facto disintegration of the office of
Shabdrung after the death of Shabdrung
Ngawang Namgyal in 1651. Under this system, the Shabdrung reigned over the temporal
Druk Desi and religious
Je Khenpo. Two successor Shabdrungs – the son (1651) and stepbrother (1680) of Ngawang Namgyal – were effectively controlled by the Druk Desi and Je Khenpo until power was further splintered through the innovation of multiple Shabdrung incarnations, reflecting speech, mind, and body. Increasingly secular regional lords (
penlops and dzongpons) competed for power amid a backdrop of civil war over the Shabdrung and invasions from
Tibet, and the
Mongol Empire. The penlops of
Trongsa and
Paro, and the dzongpons of
Punakha,
Thimphu, and
Wangdue Phodrang were particularly notable figures in the competition for regional dominance. During this period, there were a total of nine provinces and eight
penlops vying for power. Traditionally, Bhutan comprised nine provinces:
Trongsa, Paro,
Punakha,
Wangdue Phodrang,
Daga (also Taka, Tarka, or Taga),
Bumthang,
Thimphu,
Kurtoed (also Kurtoi, Kuru-tod), and
Kurmaed (or Kurme, Kuru-mad). The Provinces of Kurtoed and Kurmaed were combined into one local administration, leaving the traditional number of governors at eight. While some lords were
Penlops, others held the title
Dzongpen (
Dzongkha: རྗོང་དཔོན་;
Wylie:
rjong-dpon; also "Jongpen", "Dzongpön"); both titles may be translated as "governor". ==See also==