Lhuentse Dzong

Lhuentse Dzong, built in 1654, stands on a spur above the Kuri Chhu with the river on three sides and a steep drop below, one of the more dramatically sited fortresses in the country. The district is the ancestral home of the Wangchuck dynasty, which gives it particular standing, and it is also among the least developed and most remote parts of Bhutan: the road north from Mongar is long and winding, and settlements are scattered. Inside are five temples and the district administration. The area's other distinction is textile: the villages of Khoma and Kurtoe produce kishuthara, the most intricate and expensive of Bhutanese woven cloth. A large statue of Guru Rinpoche has been built on a ridge nearby.

History

Legend says Kuenga Wangpo, son of the treasure-revealer Pema Lingpa, was sent to find a ridge shaped like an elephant's trunk and meditated there, and he founded a monastery on the spot in 1543. In 1654 the Trongsa Penlop Minjur Tenpa built a formal dzong here, named Lhuentse Rinchentse, which was restored in 1962 and again between 1972 and 1974; the district is the ancestral home of the House of Wangchuck, Jigme Namgyal having been born here in 1825 (Wikipedia, Lhuntse Dzong).

What's there

• The clifftop setting - the dzong on a spur above the Kuri Chhu.
• Five temples - the shrines within the fortress walls.
• Royal ancestral country - the region the dynasty comes from.
• Weaving villages - kishuthara production in the surrounding settlements.

When to go

March to May and October to November. Monsoon brings landslides on the road from Mongar and the route can close. The Lhuentse Tshechu is in winter, unusually, falling around December or January.

What to expect

Getting here means a long drive on a rough mountain road from Mongar, several hours each way. Accommodation in Lhuentse is very limited. Much of the dzong is administrative. Few visitors come this far east, which is both the appeal and the difficulty.

Nearby

Khoma weaving village lies northeast; Mongar is south.

Key facts