Trashi Chhoe Dzong

This large dzong, north of the city on the west bank of the Wang Chhu, manages not to impose on the valley or the city as a dominating, impenetrable fortress; rather, its splendid proportions and modest setting bestow a subtle, monastic magnificence.

The whitewashed outer structure is two storeys high with three-storey towers at the four corners projecting out over the walls and capped by red-and-gold, triple-tiered roofs. The outer walls are built of trimmed, neatly fitted granite blocks, unlike other dzongs, which were made of roughly dressed stones. Similarly, the dochey (courtyard) is paved with rectangular stone slabs. The dzong housed the original National Assembly and now houses the secretariat, the throne room and offices of the king and the ministries of home affairs and finance.

Trashi Chhoe has two main entrances on its eastern side. One leads to the administrative section towards the south, and another, towards the north, leads to the monastic quarter, the summer residence of the dratshang (central monk body), and where the dances of the annual tsechu festival are performed. The dzong's Sangay Tsokhorsum Thondrol (the immense thangka (painted or embroidered religious picture) that is unfurled at the climax of the tsechu) depicts the Buddha Sakyamuni and his two disciples.

Entering the dzong you are greeted by lively sculptures of the Guardians of the Four Directions, the wrathful gatekeepers Chana Dorje and Hayagriva, and the popular 'Divine Madman', Drukpa Kunley. Look for the mural of the Four Friends - depicting a much-loved Bhutanese fable. Upon entering the courtyard you are taken by the splendid proportions of the architecture and the vast courtyard; the enclosed silence only broken by the flight of pigeons, the shuffle of feet and the whirr of prayer wheels. A large utse (central tower) separates the northern monastic courtyard, which surrounds the highly decorated Lhakang Sarpa (New Temple), from the southern courtyard. The northern monastic assembly hall houses a large statue of Sakyamuni, the Historical Buddha and meticulous murals illustrate the life of Buddha and portray mystical mandalas.

This is not the original Thimphu dzong. In 1216 Lama Gyalwa Lhanangpa built Dho-Ngen Dzong (Blue Stone Dzong) on the hill above Thimphu where Dechen Phodrang now stands. A few years later Lama Phajo Drukgom Shigpo, who brought the Drukpa Kagyu lineage to Bhutan, took over the dzong. In 1641 the Zhabdrung acquired the dzong from the descendants of Lama Phajo and renamed it Trashi Chhoe Dzong (Fortress of the Glorious Religion). He arranged to house both monks and civil officials in the dzong, but it was soon found to be too small. The Zhabdrung then built another dzong, known as the lower dzong, for the civil officials and used the original building for the monks. The 13th Druk Desi, Chhogyel Sherab Wangchuck (1744-63), later enlarged Trashi Chhoe Dzong so that it could again accommodate both civil officials and monks.

The original dzong was destroyed by fire in 1771 and was abandoned in favour of the lower dzong, which was expanded. That dzong itself suffered a fire in 1866 and twice since then. The five-storey utse was damaged in the 1897 earthquake and rebuilt in 1902.

When he moved the capital to Thimphu in 1962, King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck began a five-year project to completely renovate and enlarge the dzong. The royal architect performed the repairs without touching the utse, Lhakhang Sarpa or any other of its chapels at the centre. Other than these structures, the entire dzong was rebuilt in traditional fashion, without nails or written plans.

Below the dzong is an excellent example of a traditional cantilever bridge. To the south of the dzong is a set of low (and unattractive) administration buildings (for which there are demolition plans). West of the dzong is the small tower of Ney Khang Lhakhang, which houses a statue of Sakyamuni flanked by the protective deity Gyenyen Jagpa Melen and Dorje Daktshen, the female guardian deity of Phajoding.