family became prominent through their ties to the Wangchuck family and to the British. Kazi Dorji had advised the future First King to mediate between the British and Tibet, and it was Kazi Dorji who was later responsible for the large-scale induction of Nepalis into Bhutan. During the early years of the Dorji family's prominence, members of the family served as gongzim (chief chamberlain, the top government post), and their official residence was at the palatial Bhutan House. Kazi Ugyen Dorji settled the land and took advantage of the lucrative trade routes through Kalimpong, and by 1898 assumed the roles of Trade Agent and mediator between the British Empire and Tibet. The estate, which contained notable stables, contributed significantly to the development of the community and commerce in Kalimpong. From Bhutan House, Raja Sonam Topgay Dorji ("Topgay Raja") held the post of Trade Agent to the Government of Bhutan, however he functioned to a large extent as prime minister, foreign minister, and ambassador to India. Through this position as a trade intermediary, the Dorji family amassed wealth reputedly greater than that of the royal family. Topgay Raja himself married a Sikkimese princess, fathering Jigme Palden Dorji, future Prime Minister. Another of Topgay Dorji's sons, Ugyen, was recognized as a lama at Bhutan House as a young boy. Bhutan House was where Raja Sonam Topgay Dorji (CIE) lived. From here, Sonam Topgay Dorji was Agent for Foreign Relations for the Royal Government, as well as Governor of Haa (1917-1924), directly abutting the estate. It was also at Bhutan House that Sonam Topgay Dorji died suddenly in September 1953. The event seemed to symbolize a dark cloud of misfortune for the Dorji family, which they believed to be a curse. After two generations of growing influence, the sister of Prime Minister Jigme Palden Dorji – the daughter of Topgay Raja – married the Third King of Bhutan, creating a new bond so prominent as to cause some discontent among other Bhutanese families. The public was divided between pro-modernist and pro-monarchist camps. Foreign affairs Because of the influence of the Dorji family and its members' fluency in English, Bhutan House was the sole outlet for communication between the government and the outside world. Topgay's professional and personal contacts with India as it gained independence from the British Empire proved invaluable to Bhutan as it sought to modernize and develop. Bhutan House was naturally