There are also stories about the Tibetan commander publicly accepting the defeat to Zhabdrung. First Tibetan invasion took place in Paro valley in 1617. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal personally led the successful resistance and several Tibetan officers and a large number of horses were captured. During the first war with Tibet, c. 1627, Portuguese Jesuits Estêvão Cacella and João Cabral were the first recorded Europeans to visit Bhutan on their way to Tibet. Through the enthronement ceremony in Punakha, Tendzin Rabgye was established as the de facto ruler of Bhutan and the rightful successor to Zhabdrung. The Dzong was invaded twice by the Tibetan troops in 1639 and 1644. It was in 1616 that Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel embarked on his historic journey from Tibet to Bhutan. The Sino-Nepalese War was initially fought between the Kingdom of Nepal (Gorkhas or Gurkhas) and Tibet under the Qing Dynasty over a long-standing dispute regarding the manufacture of poor quality silver coins by Nepal.The campaign of Gorkhas (In Chinese) was an invasion of Tibet by Nepalese from 1788–1792. To commemorate the victory, a festival known as the Punakha Domche was celebrated. Zhabdrung, which translates as ‘At whose feet one submits’, is considered to be an emanation of Avalokitesvara, the Buddha of Compassion and the reincarnation of Kuenkhen Pema Karpo, who was the 18th chief abbot of Ralung Monastery in Tibet. The Druk Choeding Lhakhang : The Druk Choeling Lhakhang, where the Zhabdrung faced off his first Tibetan invasion , was founded in 1529 by Ngawang Chogyal, another saint. Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651) was a Tibetan lama who unified Bhutan.He is believed to have been reborn successively, and each of his successors is known as the Shabdrung.. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal went into retreat in Punakha Dzong in 1651. ... a time of civil war, internal conflicts and political infighting. At the time, the Zhabdrung was widely believed to be undertaking a long-term retreat; in fact, the ruler had died in 1651. During his time of unification he faced the Tibetan invasion, which was sent by Tsang Desi. To commemorate the victory, a festival known as the Punakha Domche was celebrated. There are also stories about the Tibetan commander publicly accepting the defeat to Zhabdrung. The Punakha Dzong, also known as Pungthang Dewa chhenbi Phodrang (meaning "the palace of great happiness or bliss"), is the administrative centre of Punakha District in Punakha, Bhutan.Constructed by Ngawang Namgyal, 1 st Zhabdrung Rinpoche, in 1637–38, it is the second oldest and second-largest dzong in Bhutan and one of its most majestic structures. Much of the armour and many weapons that were taken during this battle are on display in Punakha Dzong. The Tibetan invasion failed on both accounts. The Second Battle of Simtokha Dzong or the Second Tibetan Invasion of Bhutan was a military confrontation in 1634 between the supporters of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and the forces of the Tibetan Tsangpa dynasty and several Bhutanese lamas allied against him. They met with Ngawang Namgyal, presented him with firearms, gunpowder and a telescope, and offered him their services in the war against Tibet, but the Zhabdrung declined the offer. He was a claimant to the position of Gyalwang Drukpa, the traditional leader of the Drukpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.However, the same claim was raised by the crown prince of Tsang, Pagsam Wangpo (1593 … The Dzong was invaded twice by the Tibetan troops in 1639 and 1644. The reason for invasion followed him, because Zhabdrung brought sacred relic Rangjung Kharsapani. The latter initially conquered Zhabdrung’s seat, Simtokha Dzong, threatening to eliminate his young dominion. The Tibetan invasion failed on both accounts.