Tibetan armies invade Bhutan around 1629, in 1631, and again in 1639, hoping to throttle Ngawang Namgyal's popularity before it spreads too far.

The invasions are thwarted, and the Drukpa subsect develops a strong presence in western and central Bhutan, leaving Ngawang Namgyal supreme.

In recognition of the power he accrues, goodwill missions are sent to Bhutan from Cooch Behar in the Duars (present-day northeastern West Bengal), Nepal to the west, and Ladakh in western Tibet, The ruler of Ladakh even gives a number of villages in his kingdom to Ngawang Namgyal.

During the first war with Tibet, two Portuguese Jesuits—the first recorded Europeans to visit—pass through Bhutan on their way to Tibet.

They meet with Ngawang Namgyal, present him with firearms, gunpowder, and a telescope, and offer him their services in the war against Tibet, but the shabdrung declines the offer.