Bhutan Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Bhutan appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 17 different states, among them Bhutan, Tibet, Palas, Tibetan Empire, Thai.
BhutanExplore the history of Bhutan in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of Bhutan, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 400 BC | Magadha 18% |
| 323 BC | Magadha 3% |
| 300 BC | Mauryan Empire 3% |
| 200 BC | Thai 100% |
| 100 BC | Mauryan Empire 3% |
| 1 BC | Hindu kingdoms 3% |
| AD 100 | Hindu kingdoms 3% |
| AD 200 | Magadha 3% |
| AD 300 | Gupta Empire 3% |
| AD 400 | Gupta Empire 3% |
| AD 500 | Gupta Empire 21% |
| AD 600 | Kamarupa 91% |
| AD 700 | Hindu states 71% · Tufan Empire 29% |
| AD 800 | Tibetan Empire 68% · Palas 32% |
| AD 900 | Tibetan Empire 68% · Palas 32% |
| 1000 | Palas 50% · Tibet 44% · Senas 6% |
| 1100 | Palas 50% · Tibet 44% · Senas 6% |
| 1200 | Tibet 44% · Bhutan 32% · Sultanate of Delhi 24% |
| 1300 | Tibet 100% |
| 1400 | Tibet 100% |
| 1492 | Tibet 100% |
| 1500 | Tibet 100% |
| 1600 | Islamic and Hindu states 94% · Tibet 6% |
| 1650 | Bhutan 94% · Tibet 6% |
| 1700 | Bhutan 94% · Tibet 6% |
| 1783 | Assam 74% · Bhutan 26% |
| 1800 | Bhutan 94% · Qing Empire 6% |
| 1815 | Bhutan 100% |
| 1880 | Bhutan 100% |
| 1900 | Bhutan 100% |
| 1914 | Bhutan 100% |
| 1920 | Bhutan 100% |
| 1930 | Bhutan 100% |
| 1938 | Bhutan 100% |
| 1945 | Bhutan 100% |
| 1960 | Bhutan 100% |
| 1994 | Bhutan 100% |
| 2010 | Bhutan 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Bhutan?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Bhutan belonged to Bhutan, Tibet, Palas, Tibetan Empire, Thai, Islamic and Hindu states, along with 11 other states.
What was Bhutan part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Bhutan lay within Palas.
What was Bhutan part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Bhutan lay within Tibet.
What was Bhutan part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Bhutan lay within Bhutan.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.