A 17th century stone inscription from Ura village

In traditional times, Ura was the south-easternmost of the districts of central Bhutan called Bum-thang sDe-bzhi – 'the Four Districts of Bumthang.' Within the district are found some of the oldest datable Bhutanese monasteries such as Sombrang, connected to the Drigung Kagyudpa subsect of the Lhapa, constructed ca. 1230 AD by the Smyos Lama named Demchog (1179-1265). Before its incorporation into the Zhabdrung Rinpoche's centralised Drukpa ecclesiastic state during the mid 17th century, Ura was apparently ruled by a line of petty kings, known as the Ura Gyalpo, barely mentioned in Bhutanese histories and about whom little is remembered today. At other times in Ura's history it was ruled, or at least dominated by strongmen claiming Tibetan ancestry known as the Ura Dung (Choekey: Gdung). Remnants of those days are found in hillside castle ruins of Gdung Nag-po and in the traditional nomenclature of several homes in Ura that reflect their past functional relationship to the house that once served as the old royal residency, situated at the top of the hill. Today, Ura is located just south of the lateral road leading to Mongar and eastern Bhutan and is perhaps best known to tourists for its annual yak dance (Yag Shoed) festival.