Monyul

Origins and early settlement, 600–1600

A state of Lhomon (literally, southern darkness) or Monyul (dark land, a reference to the Monpa, one of the Tibeto-Burman peoples of Bhutan), that was then beyond the pale of Buddhist teachings. Monyul is thought to have existed between about 1000 BC and AD 600. The names Lhomon Tsendenjong (southern Mon sandalwood country) and Lhomon Khazhi (southern Mon country of four approaches), found in ancient Bhutanese and Tibetan chronicles, may also have credence and have been used by some Bhutanese scholars when referring to their homeland. Variations of the Sanskrit words Bhota-ant (end of Bhot) or Bhu-uttan (meaning highlands) have been suggested by historians as origins of the name Bhutan, which came into common foreign use in the late 19th century and is used in Bhutan only in English-language official correspondence. The traditional name of the country since the 17th century has been Drukyul—country of the Drukpa, the Dragon people, or the Land of the Thunder Dragon, a reference to the country's dominant Buddhist sect.