By registering, i consent to the transfer of personal information to the u. In order to spread the drukpa rule over sharchog khorlo tisb gyed the eight regions of eastern bhutan, he directed the trongsa penlop, chhogyal minjur tempa, to subdue the. The road to mongar crosses thumshingla 3,800 m, the highest pass in bhutan. An introduction to traditional architecture of bhutan. Mongar dzongkhag travel eastern bhutan, bhutan lonely. Druk yul, officially the kingdom of bhutan druk gyal khap, is a landlocked country in south asia. Jomolhari trek is one of the most popular and oldest treks in bhutan. Punakha was the capital of bhutan from 1637 to 1907, and the first national assembly was hosted here in 1953. 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.
Ruins of zhongar dzong attractions in mongar bookmytour. Drametse monastery is another place of sanctity, and its splendor is entrenched with profound history and the significant accounts of the past. Administrative divisions of bhutan project gutenberg self. National museum and perhaps ask your guide to book a well earned hotstone bath. It is the best companion for you when travelling to bhutan. Sep 22, 2016 punakha dzong in western bhutan its often considered the most beautiful dzong in the country, it is also the most important dzong in bhutanese history.
However unlike the earlier dzongs, that are located in strategic positions, mongar dzong is located on a small gentle slopy area just above the town. Starting from paro valley and ending in thimphu capital. However, unlike the earlier dzongs, that are located in strategic positions, mongar dzong is located on a small gently sloping area just above the town. The current state of the dzong as a ruin appeals even more to the sentiments of the bhutanese people. Mongar dzongkhag is 450 km east of the capital city, thimphu. Intimately associated with the history of eastern bhutan, trashigang dzong is a perfect example of a site that has been in continuous use and care by the local community. Located in the eastern himalayas, it is bordered by tibet autonomous region of china in the north, the sikkim state of india and the chumbi valley of tibet in the west, the arunachal pradesh state. Dzong simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This amazing and historical palace has been built during the 1600s and has already been renovated several times. Explore mongar dzongkhag holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. Sep 09, 2016 the powerful symbol of the swastika and its 12,000 year history the swastika is a symbol that has been used for at least 12,000 years. Drukgyal dzong, paro, bhutan history, ruins holidify. Shongar dzong is a town in mongar district in southeasterncentral bhutan. The mongar dzong is relatively new compared to the other dzongs of the kingdom.
You will come across beautiful highlander villages, spot blue sheep, beautiful lakes and high altitude birds. History of the drukgyal dzong builtin 1649 by zhabdrung ngawang namgyal, drukgyel dzong, meaning victorious fortress, marked the victory of bhutan over tibet in 1644 tibetan invasion. It has two entrances and the monk and administrative bodies share the same courtyard. After a hearty breakfast, make your way to mongar dzong and take a seat around.
Mongar dzong mongar, bhutan attractions lonely planet. Palace of the profound meaning of secret mantras is a small dzong. The monger dzong was established in 1930 to replace the original zhongar dzong although the original utse central tower dates from and earlier age. The precise etymology of bhutan is unknown, although it is likely to derive from the tibetan endonym bod used for tibet. Shongar dzong, mongars original dzong, is in ruins, and the new dzong in mongar town is not as architecturally spectacular or historically significant as others in the region. I understand that the personal information i submit through this website will be stored and processed in the u. It also has a hydro power plant on the kuri chhu river. Discover mongar dzong, mongar, bhutan with the help of your friends. Kuri chhu is a tributary of the manas river system, which is the largest river of bhutan and a major tributary of the brahmaputra river that drains most of eastern bhutan. The dzongs were built to replace the loss of gsang sngags zab dong, i semtokha dzong. Mongar dzongkhag administration views royal government of. Mongar dzong is one of the newest dzongs in bhutan and unlike other traditional.
A regional hospital has been constructed and the region is bustling with many economic activities. Ruins of zhonggar dzong royal government of bhutan mongar. The former was a thinker, innovator and visionary whose ideas were far ahead of his times. Oral accounts of zhongar dzong the ruin of zhongar dzong is a familiar sight on the thimphutrashigang highway between lingmithang and thidangbi village in mongar.
Mongar dzongkhag travel eastern bhutan, bhutan lonely planet. Embedded inside is a life frozen in time, a wealth of history that can be still. Vast and impressive fortresses, known as dzongs, dominate. It was, during the th and 14th centuries, the seat of sakya power, in the tsongpo. The dzongpon administrator operating from this dzong had control over the agricultural land that stretched on the south bank of the tsongpo river from chowo ri to rawame. Mongar dzong, zhongar dzong, dramitse lhakhang, aja ney. For context, this is about the fort and monastery called shekarshelkarxegar dzong in tibet, near tingri. Trashiyangtse dzong bhutan trashi yangtse dzong bhutan. A visit to any dzongkhag of the himalayan kingdom of bhutan is incomplete without treating your eyes to the spectacular sights of the grandiose dzongs fortresses and magnificent statues of the protector deities.
In order to spread the drukpa rule over sharchog khorlo tisb gyed the eight regions of eastern bhutan, he directed the trongsa penlop, chhogyal minjur tempa, to subdue the local chieftains and build a dzong at the present site. Lhuntshi is 76 km three hours drive north of mongar. Simtokha dzong dzong means castlemonastery also known as sangak zabdhon phodrang bhutanese language meaning. Traditionally, it is taken to be a transcription of the sanskrit bho. Mongar dzong book mongar dzong tour packages travelobhutan. The landscape here is spectacular with stark cliffs and gorges, and dense coniferous forests.
It is listed as a tentative site in bhutans tentative list for unesco inclusion. Punakha dzong, the greatest dzong in bhutan unusual traveler. Dzongdags chronology royal government of bhutan mongar. Founding of zhongar mongar dzong 5 kunzang thinley 7. Although built in the 1930s and one of bhutans newest dzongs, it is constructed in the same way as all earlier dzongs, without plans or nails.
Mongar dzongkhags under his authority, whereas jigme. Rinpung dzong is a large dzong buddhist monastery and fortress of the drukpa lineage of the kagyu school in paro district, bhutan. Mongar is the fastestdeveloping dzongkhag in eastern bhutan. It was built in 1629 by zhabdrung ngawang namgyal, who unified bhutan. Yet the dzong is built in the same method and traditions of all the other dzongs. The history of bhutan based on buddhism is, indeed, the first book ever to appear on this subject in english by a bhutanese. Part of mongar is also increasingly becoming popular as birding capital of the world. Mongar dzong although more recently built 1930, it was constructed the same way as all earlier dzongs, without plans or nails.
Wangduephodrang dzong is the third oldest dzong in bhutan. Foreword the late king of bhutan, his majesty jigme dorji wangchuck, and the late prime minister of bhutan, lonchen jigme palden dorji, were the two main architects of modern bhutan. Ive found a few old pictures of it and a few pictures of the recent ruins, but almost no writing about the history of the monastery and the ruined fort. Ancient ruin of drukgyel dzong unesco world heritage centre. The mongols were a small nomadic tribe in the area of ergon2 and kolen naur. The ruin of this magnificent monument opposite the highway still imposes its presence even a few centuries after it was abandoned. Jakar dzong was originally built as a monastery in 1549 and was once the seat of the first king of bhutan. Explore bhutans central valleys, rich with ancient historical and sacred buddhist. Dzong bok mun is an actress, known for orang chon 1957. With the exception of some erudite books in chhokey, little has been written on such a subject in english by bhutanese scholars.
The headquarters of the governor of gongkar or gonggar was at gonggar dzong. While in the western world it is synonymous with fascism, being the centerpiece of the nazi flag, in ancient times it was used as a positive symbol representing well being and good fortune. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Upon arrival in mongar, we will check into our hotel and have time to explore the town or visit the nearby mongar dzong before lunch at our hotel. It houses the district monastic body and government administrative offices of paro dzongkhag.
Semtokha dzong was destroyed in 1634 during the bhutantibet war. But before climbing to mongar dzong, a road branches off the highway and. Places of interest in and around mongar mongar dzong it is site of one of bhutans newest dzong built in 1930s. Trashigang dzong is one of 20 dzongs that survive around the country and constitute a key part of bhutans built heritage. Perched on a steep ridge which rises from the confluence of the two rivers, dongdi chu and kholong chu, the trashiyangtse dzong was sanctified with the sacred rabney consecration ceremony on march 23 and 24, 2005. The ruin of zhongar dzong endures to this day as a testimony to the skill of its. Things to do in mongar dzong, mongar, bhutan facebook. The mongar dzong was established in 1930 to replace the original shongar dzong, although the original utse central tower dates from an earlier age. The approach to this dzong is over a flagstonepaved path over the steep cliffs. He was a wise and benevolent ruler who strengthened the kingdoms sovereignty and independence by leading bhutan into the. Top 5 bhutan dzongs updated for 2020 regent holidays.
Haa dzong located in the haa valley, the haa dzong was built in 1895 because a pressing need was felt to protect the adjoining border from tibetan invasions and after the appointment of the first haa drungpa, it became necessary to build an administrative center. History of haa valley hed lung gyu zhi 125 geshe tenzin wangchuk 6. Bhutan festival dates 2018 toursim council of bhutan provisional. Mongar is noted for its lemon grass, a plant that can be used to produce an essential oil. And mongar, owing to its modern and marvelous dzong, follows this rule to a t. The mongar district is the northern portion of the ancient region of khyeng. You can also download these dates in pdf format using the link below. The memory of the dzong is vividly preserved among people as the unfortunate event turning the dzong into a ruin occurred just before modernization took place in bhutan in the early 1960s. Built in 1930, the mongar dzong is a relatively new construction due to the original dzong being destroyed by a fire and earthquake. The architect while surveying the land came across a white stone shaped like a bowl on a mound just above kurichhu. If you wish you can choose exactly which places this guide should cover. Bhutan travel guide book for download guidesebooks. Karma phuntshos the history of bhutan is the first book to offer a comprehensive history of bhutan in english.
The highlight of this trek is breathtaking views of mt. Bhutan, thimpu,paro, punakha,wangdi phodrang,tongsa,bumthang. Shongar dzong, mongar s original dzong, is in ruins, and the new dzong in mongar town is not as architecturally spectacular or historically significant as others in the region. Along with a detailed social and political analysis, it offers substantive discussions of bhutans geography and culture. The dzong served as a great help to bhutanese forces in driving away from the tibetan forces. The road from mongar to lheuntse dzong is a 3 hours drive over a distance of 77 kilometres 48 mi and 63 kilometres 39 mi from its junction at gangola. Amanderson, creative commons the palace of great bliss or punthang dechen phodrang in bhutan is commonly known as punakha dzong from other parts of the world.
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