Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [110]
Frequent fires (five between 1750 and 1849) damaged the dzong, as did the severe 1897 earthquake. A glacial lake burst on the Pho Chhu in 1960 and again in 1994, causing damage to the dzong that has since been repaired. Outside the dzong is a memorial to the 23 people killed in that flood. The latest fire, in 1986, damaged the residence of the Je Khenpo in the southwest corner of the dzong.
Cantilever bridges across the Mo Chhu and the Pho Chhu were constructed between 1720 and 1730. They have both been destroyed, however, and the Mo Chhu is now spanned by a cable suspension bridge that stands next to the remains of the original cantilever bridge.
Visiting The Dzong
In addition to its strategic position at the river confluence, the dzong has several features to protect it against invasion. The steep wooden entry stairs are designed to be pulled up, and there is a heavy wooden door that is still closed at night.
The dzong is unique because it has three docheys instead of the usual two. The first (northern) courtyard is for administrative functions and houses a huge white chorten and bodhi tree. In the far left corner is a collection of stones and a shrine to the queen of the nagas (snake spirits), whose image is to the side. The second courtyard houses the monastic quarters and is separated from the first by the utse. In this courtyard are two halls, one of which was used when Ugyen Wangchuck, later the first king, was presented with the Order of Knight Commander of the Indian Empire by John Claude White in 1905.
In the southernmost courtyard is the temple where the remains of the terton, Pema Lingpa, and Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal are preserved. The Zhabdrung died in Punakha Dzong, and his body is still preserved in Machey Lhakhang (machey means ‘sacred embalmed body’), which was rebuilt in 1995. The casket is sealed and may not be opened. Other than two guardian lamas, only the king and the Je Khenpo may enter this room. Both come to take blessings before they take up their offices.
At the south end is the ‘hundred-pillar’ assembly hall (which actually has only 54 pillars). The exceptional murals, which were commissioned by the second druk desi, depict the life of Buddha. The massive gold statues of the Buddha, Guru Rinpoche and the Zhabdrung date back to the mid-18th century, and there are some fine gold panels on the pillars.
Bhutan’s most treasured possession is the Rangjung (‘Self-Created’) Kharsapani, an image of Chenresig that is kept in the Tse Lhakhang in the utse of the Punakha Dzong. It was brought to Bhutan from Tibet by the Zhabdrung and features heavily in Punakha’s famous domchoe (type of festival).
After you exit the dzong from the north you can visit the dzong chug, which houses a statue of Sakyamuni said to have the ability to talk. North of the dzong is a cremation ground, marked by a large chorten.
THE UPPER PUNAKHA VALLEY
The road up the west side of Mo Chhu valley passes several country houses owned by Bhutan’s nobility, including the Phuntsho Pelri palace, a summer residence of the king, and a former residence of the queen mother, now the Amankora resort (Click here). The current queens’ father built many of the lhakhangs in the valley and owns several hotels, including the Zangto Pelri.
Just 1km north of the dzong is the Bhutan Souvenir Production Training Centre ( 584664; Sun-Fri), a program that trains 20 disadvantaged girls in a one-year course to produce souvenir handicrafts. Products include hand-woven bags, embroidered purses, Bhutanese paper products, dolls and Christmas decorations. It’s a worthy cause and worth a stop.
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PUNAKHA FESTIVAL
The Punakha festival in February/March is unusual because of its dramatic recreation of a 17th-century battle scene. In 1639 a Tibetan army invaded Bhutan to seize Bhutan’s most precious relic, the Rangjung Kharsapani, a self-created image of Chenresig. The Zhabdrung concocted an elaborate ceremony in which he pretended to throw the relic into the Mo Chhu, after which the disappointed Tibetans withdrew.