Bhutans government structure from 1616 to 1907 even though namgyal succeeded in centralizing and consolidating his power within bhutan, the country faced serious external threats in the centuries that followed. The dzongs of paro, dagana and trongsa were headed by penlops provincial lordsgovernors while other dzongs were headed by dzongpons fortress lords. This was the first dzong we visited and were fascinated by the very size of the structure. The dozens of dzongs, the often huge ancient buildings spread around the country, begin to look similar with their massive battlements and uniquely bhutanese architecture. They are often the site of an annual tsechu or religious festival the rooms inside the dzong are typically allocated half to administrative function such as the office of the penlop or governor, and half to religious function, primarily the temple and housing for monks. Most of the dzongs were built by zhabdrung ngawang namgyel. Punakha was the first capital of bhutan and the countrys first king was crowned here in 1907. It is the second oldest and most majestic dzong in bhutan built at the orders of ngawang namgyal. The population of bhutan had been estimated based on the reported figure of about 1 million in the 1970s when the country had joined the united nations and precise statistics were lacking. The dzong is part of the drukpa lineage of the kagyu school of tibetan buddhism in bhutan. These have always served dual purposes of religious centers and administrative centers due to centuries of attacks between neighbors and from tibetans and other invaders. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled gnu free documentation license.
Bhutan architecture and slice of history the dzongs. Since bhutan entered the globalized world, after the 1972 coronation of the fourth druk gyalpo hm king jigme singye wangchuck, development has reached a pace that looks more similar to a frantic rush than a smooth transition into modernity. Thus, using the annual increase rate of 23%, the most population estimates were around 2 million in 2000. In simple terms, dzongs are a complex of a fortified building which served as a principal seat of buddhist school. Permission is granted to copy, distribute andor modify this document under the terms of the gnu free documentation license, version 1. The dzongs fortress monasteries close to paro and thimphu are obvious first stops on that onceinlifetime bhutan trip, but for travellers looking to enrich the bhutan experience, heres a quick guide to some of the top experiences in the further reaches of the kingdom places where global influence is less, where nature is at its most untamed, and where traditional buddhist culture. Dzongs fortresses are bhutanese architectural masterpieces built in the past to serve a number of purposes.
You are reminded that taking photos or filming inside dzongs, monasteries, temples, or any religious institutions are not permitted. To solidify the new power structure of bhutan, he created a chain of 16 large dzongs monasterycastles in the main valleys of western bhutan as the centres of religious and civil authority. Dzongs of bhutan madhu rajput lucknow university, india abstract an attempt has been made in this paper to trace the various dzongs of bhutan around which the life of every bhutanese revolves. The dzong at thimpu allows visitors after 5 pm when government offices close officially. Dzong architecture is a distinctive type of fortress architecture found mainly in bhutan and tibet. Figure on two full days in paro, including visits to taktshang goemba and kyichu lhakhang in the paro valley, and a full day or two in thimphu.
Zhabdrung ngawang namgyal was one of the greatest builders of dzongs in bhutan and to consolidate his newly acquired domain in western bhutan and to defend himself from both the internal foes and external enemies he started the constructions of six dzongs. Isolated from the outside for three centuries, this forbidden kingdom in the himalayas provides the setting for a bewitching adventure amongst widely varying peoples and terrain katie hickman. Bhutanese dzong architecture reached its zenith in the 17th century after the arrival of. Bhutan tour packages book bhutan packages at wanderon. The most distinct and important structure in bhutan, dzongs fortresses are architectural masterpieces that dotted bhutan. Located on a stretch of land where the pho chhu and mo chhu converge, the punakha dzong served as the centre of government and the first session of the national assembly was also held here in 1953. They have towering structures that are encompassed by the huge complex of various buildings serving various purposes. Today most of them are lost or in ruins, a few are restored as museums, and it is only in bhutan that we find the dzongs still alive today as. Importance of dzongs in bhutan, a fortified building. Bhutan travel with northwest rafting company features an active itinerary that will have you rafting or kayaking its rivers and visiting some of the most important buddhist cultural sites in the world. Punakha dzong, the queen of dzongs constructed by ngawang namgyal, 1637.
Though known as bhutan to the outside world, the bhutanese themselves refer to their country as druk yul or the land of the thunder dragon. Today these structures remain an odd mix of religion and government. The present place where the dzongs stands is the boundary between common to three western regions. What i am going to share with you is a preliminary presentation of a larger. These dzongs built by the charismatic leader zhabdrung ngawang namgyel who is believed as the rebirth of tsangpa gyaray, the founder of drukpakagyud school and also an emanation of avalokitesvara have great spiritual significance to the people of bhutan. Nevertheless, you are allowed to take pictures and record videos in the courtyard of these places. The architecture and the paintings and sculptures inside the dzong are breathtaking. Wanderon provided us right package for bhutan bike ride with good condition re classic 500 bikes, friendly captain, mechanic and local guide and good hotels. An essential part of bhutans cultural heritage are the thirteen traditional arts and crafts that have been practiced from time immemorial. The architecture is massive in style with towering exterior walls surrounding a complex of courtyards, temples, administrative offices, and monks accommodation. Medieval bhutan was organized into provinces or regions headquartered in dzongs castlesfortresses which served as administrative centres for areas around them. These arts were formally categorized during the reign of gyalse tenzin rabgay, the fourth temporal ruler of bhutan. Ulyssepixel adobe stock the fortress of drukgyel dzong commemorated a great bhutanese victory over the tibetans and mongolians. History of bhutan the name bhutan appears to derive from the sanskrit bhotant meaning the end of tibet or from bhuuttan meaning high land.
Architecture in bhutan understanding the bhutanese. Dzongs of bhutan the bhutanese stronghold history of dzongs originating in the 12th century, dzongs were constructed on mountaintops to serve as the watchtowers and fortresses during wars. The trashigang dzong in trashigang, bhutan the most prominent and distinctive feature about the dzongs in bhutan is the contrast of white walls and the woodwork that covers the roofs of the building. To consolidate his newly acquired domain in western bhutan and to defend himself from both the internal foes and external enemies he started constructing dzongs, beginning with the simtokha dzongs.
Each dzongs are built on a site chosen for religious significance. Bhutan has nine dzongs that are significant to the country and we visited three of them thimpu, punakha and paro. Modern military strategists would observe that the dzongs are wellsited with regard. Among the dzongs founded by zhabdrung ngawang namgyel, five dzongs notably took crucial. Dzongs were frequently built on a hilltop or mountain spur. The seat of administration, religion and higher learning, dzongs present the high watermark of bhutanese architecture, introduced in bhutan by tibet. Dzong at wangdue phodrang, bhutan dzongs were frequently built on a hilltop or mountain spur. Paro, bhutanits a steep climb to taktsang, a monastery hugging the side of a rocky cliff 3,000 feet above the paro valley in bhutan. Building compounds serving several functions as buddhist monasteries and district government offices, and historically as fortresses and palaces. They served as administrative centers and as houses for the clergy. Two eminent scholars, lopen nado and dasho lam sangnak, have kindly consented to check the content of these songs and to write a preface.
History of bhutan bhutan history origin and history of. Dzongs or fortress, spread across bhutan, are architectural masterpiece built on strategic locations. Dzongs of bhutan dzongs temple fortresses located within bhutan. Every effort will be made to adhere to the planned itinerary, due to weather conditions, road conditions, national holidays and reasons beyond bhutan network links control, changes in the daily program may be necessary depending upon the time of the visit to bhutan. Trongsa dzong fortress, the largest fortress in bhutan. Drukgyel dzong and how a lama unified bhutan ancient origins. Dzongs serve as the religious, military, administrative, and social centers of their district.
Travel requirements all tourists excluding indian, bangladeshi and maldivian passport holders who wish to travel to bhutan require a visa and must book their holiday through a bhutanese tour operator or one of their international partners. Tourism bhutan council lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Hats and shoes are strictly prohibited in bhutan monasteries, dzongs andother religious. Bhutan bike trip it was a dream come true bhutan trip with like minded people in awesome destination with adventure touch. Dzongs were the safe shelters where people were brought together for protection from sudden, violent attacks by enemies. Mountains, rivers and dzongs bhutan the world has few secrets left, but bhutan is one of them. Dzong architecture is a distinctive type of fortress wylie. But the going is fairly easy if taken slowly, for the path is well constructed and maintained and the mountain air is fresh and cool. This book contains two hundred and eighty folk songs gathered from various places in the land of the dragon, bhutan. Bhutanese houses apart from the dzongs, monasteries, temples and bridges have a distinct character from those of other. Zhabdrung ngawang namgyal designed it to protect bhutans border with tibet by incorporating a large arsenal and also administrative buildings. Thirteen forts were built without architectural plans under the spiritual dreams of holy lamas.
The territory of bhutan shall comprise twenty dzongkhags with each dzongkhag consisting of gewogs and thromdes. This is my first trip with wanderon and it was awesome trip. The constitution of the kingdom of bhutan national council. The first dzong that he undertook to construct was the simtokha dzong. Very near to the paro river, which is also a treat in itself. Pdf due to political and spiritual significance, dzongs hold a special place in the minds of the bhutanese people. Access to bhutan is strictly limited by the government and many tours would have you riding by bus from site to site. Dzongs in bhutan are in use today as they were for many centuries as centres of administration and religious practice. They were also used as garrisons by the army and people gathered in the dzong. The new taktsang monastery and punakha dzong are even more beautiful than the originals, and are a source of pride to the bhutanese. Bhutans dzongs are pre17th century buddhist fortresses located at key defense points, such as along tibet or chinese mountain passes. If the dzong is built on the side of a valley wall, a smaller dzong or watchtower is typically built directly uphill from the main dzong with the purpose of keeping the slope clear of attackers who might otherwise shoot downward into the courtyard of the main dzong below see image at head of article.
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