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In the cenre of Bhutan and four hours by road from Wangduephodrang,
Tongsa offers a welcome rest to travellers.The approach
to the town involves a frustrating 14Kms trip around
Tongsa Valley. A vantage point from the opposite side
of the valley,still 14Kms from Tongsa,provides a spectacular
view of Dzong and the town.Like alomost all towns in
Bhutan,the secular and the religious centre,the Dzong,dominates
the horizon,dwarfing the surrounding buildings.Tongsa
is the Royal Family's ancestral home.Protected from
invaders by an impenetrable valley,Tongsa Dzong is an
impregnable fortress.The Dzong itself is a labyrinth
of temples corridors and offices holding court over
the local community.It is built on many levels intothe
side of the hill and can be seen from every approach
to Tongsa heralding its strength as a defensive stronghold.
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Paro valley is one of the most populated areas of the
whole country. The valley of Parocontains a wealth of
attractions and requires a few days to be properly explored.
Casting a shadow across the town of Paro is the elegant
and perfectly symmetrical Rinpung Dzong. Built in 1646
by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the first spiritual and
temporal ruler of Bhutan. Eighteen kms from Paro town
on the south side of the valley are the burnt ruins
of Drugyel Dzong (victorious fortress). It was from
this monastery that the Bhutanese repelled several invading
Tibetan armies during the 17th century.
Thimphu, perhaps the most unusual capital city in the
world, is a bustling town on the banks of its own river
and set gloriously in the hills of its own valley. A
regal town, Thimphu is home to the revered Bhutanese
Royal family and to several foreign missions and development
projects. On the bank of the river lies Tashichho Dzong,the
main,the main secretariat building which houses the
throne room of His Majesty the king of Bhutan.Five miles
from Thimphu stands the 17th Century Simtokha Dzong
on a lifty ridge.Built in1627,the oldest Dzong in the
land houses the school for Buddhist studies.The road
to Dorchula Pass and on to eastern Bhutan winds its
way upwards from Simtokha Dzong.
The road winds up from Simtokha Dzong into pine forest
and through small villages for 20Kms and then opens
miraculously onto the northern ridge of the mountain.The
view over the Himalayan panoply at Dorchula Pass at
10,500 Feet is one of the most sepactacular in all Bhutan.Punakha
lies about two hours drive from Dorchula down low in
its valley.Punakha served as the capital of Bhutan untill
1955.Punakha Dzong was strategically built at the junction
of the two rivers in the 17th Century by the first Shabdrung
to serve as the religious and admininistrative centre.Punakha
Dzong houses sacred temples including the Marchen where
the embalmed body of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal lies
in the state.
Bhumtang has an individuality that charms its visitors
and separates it from other regions.Comprising of four
smaller valleys,the deeply spiritual region of Bhumthang
is shrouded inreligious legend.It is also the traditional
home to the greatest Buddhist teacher Pema Lingpato
whose descendants the present dynasty traces its ancestry.
The last town on the central highway before Bhutan,Wangdiphodrang
is like an enlarged village a few well provided shops,Located
towards the south of Punakha,the higher reaches of the
Wangdiphodrang valley provides rich pastureland for
cattle.This district is also famous for its fine bamboo
work and its stone carving.
Towards the east of Wangdiphodrang there is an old monastery
of Gangtey Gompa dating back to the 17th Century.A few
Kms past the Gompa on the valley floor is the village
of Phobjikha.This is the home of Black necked cranes
that migrate from the arid plains in the north to pass
winter in milder and loving climates.
The second largest town in the subtropical east Mongar,like
Tashigang further east,is situated on the side of a
hill instead of next to the river on the valley floor
like other towns in Bhutan.
In the far east of Bhutan,on the bank of Gamri Chu river,
lies Tashigang, the country's largest district. Tashigang
once the centre of a busy trade with Tibet,is today
the junction of the east west highway with road connection
to Samdrup Jongkhar and then to the Indian state of
Assam.This town is also used as the market place for
the hill people from Merak and Sakteng who are ramarkable
for their exceptional feature and costume.
A few kms north of Tashigang,Tashiyangtse Dzong is a
half hour walk from the road.The monk body leaves the
monastery during the winter for warmer surroundings.A
town has been developed around Kora,one of only two
temples built in a style prevalent in Nepal and the
spot where Guru Rimpoche is believe to have had a vision
that a temple and chorten would be built .
The road from Tashigang to Samdrup Jongkhar was completed
in the early 1960s and enablesthe eastern half of the
country to access and benefit from trade with the south
as well as to cross the Indian border.There is little
for travellers to see in this area but it is used as
more convinient exit town.This town is no more than
frontier post with couple of decent hotels andrestaurants.
