Punakha Dzong and the Mo Chhu

Punakha (????????) is the administrative centre of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu. It is about 72 km away from Thimphu and it takes about 3 hours by car from the capital Thimphu. Unlike Thimphu it is quite warm in winter and hot in summer. It is located at an elevation of 1200 m above sea level and rice is grown as the main crop along the river valleys of two main rivers of Bhutan, the Pho Chu and Mo Chu. Dzongkha is widely spoken in this district.

Punakha Dzong

Punakha Dzong and Jacaranda trees

In 1907, Punakha Dzong was the site of the coronation of Ugyen Wangchuck (or Deb Nagpo) as the first King of Bhutan. Three years later, a treaty was signed at Punankha whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs.

In 1987, the dzong was partially destroyed by fire.

Due to its location at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers in the Punakha-Wangdue valley, the dzong is vulnerable to flash flooding caused by glacier lakes (GLOF). According to a recent report, flash flood damage to Punakha Dzong occurred in 1957, 1960 and 1994.^[1]

Ritsha Village, Punakha

Punakha valley is famous in Bhutan for rice farming. Both red and white rice are grown along the river valley of Pho and Mo Chu, two the most prominent rivers in Bhutan. Ritsha (meaning at the base of a hiil) is a typical village in Punakha. The village houses are made of pounded mud with stone machinery foundations. Each house is only two storeys high. Surrounding the houses are the gardens and the rice fields. The gardens also usually have fruit bearing plants like oranges and papaya among the organic vegetables. In the recent years, the farming work is mechanized and power-tillers instead of bullocks are used to plough the fields and villagers have become relatively properous. This is model rice growing village in western Bhutan.

See also

• Dzong architecture
• Driglam Namzha
• Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal

Notes and references

External links

• Photo gallery of Punakha Dzong (Nov 2005)
• Photos of Punakha Dzong
• Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal at the Dharma Dictionary

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