Jakar Dzong

Jakar Dzong sits on a spur above the Chokhor valley, the administrative and monastic centre of Bumthang district, and its name means the fortress of the white bird: tradition holds that a white bird settled on the ridge during a meeting to choose a site for a monastery, and was taken as the sign. The present building dates from the seventeenth century with later rebuilding after fire and earthquake. It is notably long and narrow, following the ridge, with an unusually tall utse and a covered passage running down to a water supply, a feature designed to survive siege. From the walls the whole Chokhor valley is visible with its temples scattered across the floor. The dzong houses the district administration, so visitor access is partial.

History

The Tibetan lama Ngagi Wangchuk, 1517-1554, a hierarch of Ralung who came to spread the Drukpa Kagyu teaching, built the dzong in 1549 on the site of an earlier temple, and its name comes from bjakhab, white bird, after the legend of a roosting white bird that marked the right place for a monastery. It became the fortress for the defence of the eastern districts, was damaged in the 17th century when the Tsang ruler Phuntsho Namgyel twice sent armies against the Zhabdrung and renovated afterwards by the Trongsa Penlop, and with a circumference of more than 1,500 metres it may be the largest dzong in Bhutan (Wikipedia, Jakar Dzong).

Highlights

• The long ridge plan - a narrow dzong following the spur.
• The tall central tower - the utse rising above the walls.
• The water passage - the covered route to the spring below.
• The valley view - Chokhor and its temples from the walls.

When to go

March to May and September to November. Bumthang is high and cold, with snow possible from November. The Jakar Tshechu falls in autumn. Administrative use limits access on weekdays during office hours.

Things to know

Much of the dzong is offices and closed to visitors. Photography inside temples is forbidden. The building has been repeatedly rebuilt, so the fabric is not as old as the foundation date suggests. Bumthang is cold and heating in the town is limited.

Nearby

Jambay Lhakhang and Kurjey Lhakhang lie north up the valley.

Key facts