Although the interiors of some temples, monasteries
and Dzongs [fortress] are forbidden to foreign travelers
at present, the tourists can still get a good insight
into the unique cultural heritage of the Kingdom.
The closure of religious institutions is to ensure
that monastic life can continue unhindered.
PARO VALLEY
The first thing you will notice as you disembark is
the transparent purity of air and the absence of noise.
The Paro valley has kept its bucolic nature in spite
of the airport and the existence of development projects.
Fields, brown or green depending on the season, cover
most of the valley floor, while hamlets and isolated
farms dot the countryside. The houses of Paro valley
are considered to be among the most beautiful in the
country. Paro is believed to be one of the first valleys
to have received the imprint of Buddhism.
Sight seeing around Paro
THIMPU
Thimphu lies in a wooded valley, sprawling up a hillside
on the West Bank of the Thimphu Chhu [Chhu means River].
Thimphu is unlike any other world capital. Small and
secluded the city is quiet and there are never the
traffic jams familiar in other Asian Capitals. It
is often said that Thimphu is the only world capital
without traffic lights. Thimphu's main shopping street
is a delight not so much for what you can buy there,
but for the picturesqueness of the architecture and
national costume. Beautiful weaves in wool, silk and
cotton, basketwork, silver jewellery, thangkas and
other traditional crafts of the Kingdom are available
in various Handicraft Emporiums.
Sight Seeing around Thimpu
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PUNAKHA
Punakha plays a primordial role in the history of
Bhutan, in fact it was the country's winter capital
for 300 years. Punakha Dzong, or Punthang Dechen Phodrang,
was built in 1637. The Dzong resembles a gigantic
ship exactly covering a split of land at the confluence
of two rivers. The history of Punakha Dzong dates
back to the year 1328 when a saint named Ngagi Rinchen
build a temple there which can still be seen today
opposite to the great Dzong. Shabdrung Nawang Namgyel
a key figure in the History of Bhutan built the Punakha
Dzong and his body is preserved in one of the Dzongs
temples, Machen Lhakhang. The Dzong was damaged six
times by fire, once by floods and once by earthquake.
The coronation of Ugyen Wangchuk, the first king of
Bhutan, took place at Punakha Dzong on 17th December
1907.
WANGDUE PHODRANG
Wangdue Phodrang, meaning 'the palace where the four
directions are gathered under the power of the Shabdrung.
However the popular story has it that the Shabdrung
arrived at the river and happened to see a boy building
a sand castle. He asked for the boy's name, which
was Wangdue, and thereupon decided to name the Dzong
Wangdue Phodrang or 'Wangdue's Palace.' Wangdue Phodrang
Dzong is perched on a spur at the confluence of 02
rivers. The position of the Dzong is remarkable as
it completely covers the spur and commands an impressive
view over both the north-south and east-west roads.
The main road climbs the length of the spur and on
the left, across the river, comes the first glimpse
of the picturesque village of Rinchengang whose inhabitants
are celebrated stonemasons.
TRONGSA
Trongsa means 'the new village' and the founding of
Trongsa first dates from the 16th century which is
indeed relatively recent for Bhutan. It was the Drukpa
lama, Ngagi Wangchuk (1517-54), the great grandfather
of Shabdrung Nawang Namgyel, who founded the first
temple at Trongsa in 1543. The landscape around Trongsa
is spectacular, and for miles on the end the Dzong
seems to tease you so that you wonder if you will
ever reach Trongsa. The view extends for many kilometres
and in the former times, nothing could escape the
vigilance of its watchmen.
Places to visit : Trongsa Dzong , Chendebji
Chorten [Stupa] , Ta Dzong
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BUMTHANG
The Bumthang region encompasses four major valleys:
Choskhor, Tang, Ura and Chhume. The Dzongs and the
most important temples are in the large Choskhor valley,
commonly referred to as Bumthang valley. There are
two versions of the origin of the name Bumthang. The
valley is supposed to be shaped like a Bumpa, a vessel
that contains holy water, and Thang meaning flat place.
The religious connotation of the name aptly applies
to the sacred character of the region. It would be
difficult to find so many important temples and monasteries
in such a small area anywhere else in Bhutan.
Sight Seeing Places : Jakar Dzong [Castle
of the White Bird], Wangdichholing Palace, Lamey Goemba
Kurje, Lhakhang [Ku means "body", Je means"imprint"],
Tamshing Lhakhang [Temple of Good Message], Kencho
Sum Lhakhang [famous for its broken bell and Lamae
Gompa], Member Tsho ,Peling Sermon Chorten [Stupa]
On to the east Tamshing Goemba [Temple of Good Message]
Kenchosum Lhakhang Tang Valley Membartsho [Burning
Lake] Kunzangdrak Goemba Ugyen Tsholing Palace Thowada
Goemba
MONGAR
The Mongar district is the northern portion of the
ancient region of Kheng. Mongar is the district headquarters
and hardly more than a stopping place surrounded by
fields of maize. It is also the first town built in
a mountain side instead of in a valley, a characteristic
of eastern Bhuytan where the valleys are usually little
more than riverbeds and mountain slopes which rise
abruptly from the rivers, flattn out as they approach
their summits. One would never imagine that the upper
parts of the mountains are so densely populated.Shongar
Dzong, Mongar's original Dzong, is in ruins and the
new dzong in Mongar town is not as architecturally
spectacular as others in the region. Dramtse Goemba,
in the eastern part of the district, is an important
Nyingmapa Monastery, but it is difficult to get there.
Places to visit :
