| |
 Paro
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
Places to visit in Paro
01. Kyichu Lhakhang [Lhakhang means Temple]
02. Taksang Monastery (Tiger's Nest)
03. Drugyel Dzong [Dzong means Fortress]
04. Dungtse Lhakhang
05. Ta Dzong [National Museum]
06. Paro Dzong
Thimphu
 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 jewelry, thangkas and other
traditional crafts of the Kingdom are available in
various Handicraft Emporiums.
Places to visit in Thimphu
01. The Memorial Chorten [Chorten means Stupa]
02. Changlimithang [Battle Ground]
03. Weekly Market [Saturdays and Sundays]
04. Tashichoe Dzong [The biggest fortress in Bhutan]
05. National Library
06. School of Arts and Crafts
07. Royal Academy of Performing Arts
08. National Institute of Traditional Medicine
09. Zangto Pelri Lhakhang
10. Zoo
11. Changangkha Lhakhang
12. Drubthob Gompa [Nunnery]
13. Dechencholing Palace
14. Pangri Zampa Temple
15. Tango Gompa
16. Chari Gompa
17. Simthoka Dzong
18. Recommended day hikes in Thimphu
19. Tala Monastery
20. Phajoding Monastery
21. Thadra Monastery
22. Trashigang Nunnery
 Punakha
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.
Places to visit in Punakha
01. Punakha Dzong
02. Wandue 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.
Phuntsoling
This small modern town in the south is the gateway of
Bhutan for overland travelers. Like all other border
towns, it is also a prelude. Phuntsholing is also a
fascinating mixture of Bhutanese and Indian, a lively
center for the mingling people, languages, customs and
goods. On top of a low hill at nearby Kharbandi, a small
Gompa situated in a garden of tropical plants and
flowers overlooks the town and surrounding
plains.
The Amo Chu, commonly known as the Torsa river
flows alongside this town and it is favorite spot for
fisherman and the picnickers. From Phuntsholing, the
road winds north over the southern foothills, through
lush forested valleys and around the rugged north-south
ridges of the inner Himalayas to the central valleys of
Thimphu and Paro. It is a scenic journey; forests
festooned with orchids cover the mountains on the other
side and exciting hairpin curves greet travelers with
colorful sculptures of Tashi Tagye (The eight auspicious
signs of Buddhism).
 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 kilometers and in the
former times, nothing could escape the vigilance of its
watchmen.
Places to visit in Trongsa
01. Trongsa Dzong
02. Chendebji Chorten [Stupa]
03. Ta Dzong
 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
Gompa, 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.
Places to visit in Bhumthang
01. Jakar Dzong [Castle of the White Bird]
02. Wangdichholing Palace
03. Lamey Gompa
04. Kurje Lhakhang [Ku means "body", Je means "imprint"]
05.Tamshing Lhakhang [Temple of Good Message]
06. Kencho Sum Lhakhang [known for its broken bell]
07. Member Tsho
08. Peling Sermon Chorten [Stupa]
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 Bhutan where the
valleys are usually little more than riverbeds and
mountain slopes which rise abruptly from the rivers,
flatten 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 in Mongar
01. Dramtse Gompa
02. Mongar Dzong
Lhuentse
Lhuentse is an isolated district although there are
many sizeable villages in the hill throughout the
region. It is very rural and there are fewer than five
vehicles, including an ambulance, and not a single
petrol station, in the whole district.
Formerly known as Kurtoe, the region is the ancestral
home of Bhutan's Royal Family. Though geographically in
the east, it was culturally identified with central
Bhutan, and the route over the Rodung-la was a major
trade route until the road to Mongar was completed. To
see and appreciate Lhuentse properly, with its many
small villages and ancient temples, you should really
explore on foot.
 Trashigang:
Trashigang is one of the most densely populated
districts in Bhutan. After Thimphu, Trashigang is the
biggest urban center in mountainous Bhutan. It is the
heart of eastern Bhutan and was once the center of
important trade with Tibet. There are several gompas and
villages that make a visit worthwhile, but it is a
remote region and requires a lot of driving to reach.
Places to visit in Trashigang
01. Zangtho Pelri Kanglung Lhakhang
02. Khaling Lhakhang
03. Radhi Lhakhang
04. Trashigang Dzong
05. Tashiyangtse Dzong
06. Gom Kora
07. Chorten Kora
 Samdrup
Zonkhar
The small frontier town is situated at the precise
point where the mountains meet the plains. There is
almost nothing of interest to the traveler in
south-eastern Bhutan. It is the headquarters of a
district boasting a brand new Dzong, although it is
basically a town of small shopkeepers who serve all of
eastern Bhutan as far as Mongar and Lhuntshi. The
tropical heat gives a languid air which is accentuated
by a lack of busy traffic. |
|
