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Je Khenpo

The Je Khenpo is the chief abbot of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan and the country's highest religious authority. The office was created by Ngawang Namgyal, the Zhabdrung, in the seventeenth century as the religious half of Bhutan's dual system of government, alongside the civil Druk Desi. It continues today, with the Je Khenpo formally appointed by the king.

Je Khenpo
Image: Mandy · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Zhabdrung Bhutan

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Je Khenpo. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/je-khenpo
MLA
“Je Khenpo.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/je-khenpo. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Je Khenpo.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/je-khenpo.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Je Khenpo’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/je-khenpo (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻