Trashigang Dzong

Trashigang Dzong was built in 1659 on a promontory above the confluence of the Drangme Chhu and Gamri Chhu, with the ground falling away on three sides, and it commanded the routes into eastern Bhutan from Tibet and from the south. Unlike most dzongs it has a single courtyard, with the administration and the monastic body sharing it. The town below is the largest in the east and the junction for roads to Samdrup Jongkhar in the south, Trashiyangtse in the north and the highway west. The district is home to Sharchop speakers and to the Brokpa of Merak and Sakteng further east, whose distinctive dress appears in the town's market. The Trashigang Tshechu is held at the dzong in late autumn.

History

The fortress was built in 1659 on a ledge with steep cliffs on three sides above the Drangme Chhu and Gamri Chhu, after the Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal ordered the Trongsa Penlop, Chhogyal Minjur Tempa, to bring the local chieftains under control and build it, and legend says a Tibetan army retreated at the sight of it, calling it a sky dzong not on the ground. Gyalsey Tenzin Rabgye enlarged it between 1680 and 1694 and Dzongpon Dopola in 1936, and every year it holds the four-day Trashigang Tshechu (Wikipedia, Trashigang Dzong).

The main sights

• The promontory site - the dzong with drops on three sides.
• A single courtyard - unusual among Bhutanese dzongs.
• The junction town - the largest settlement in eastern Bhutan below.
• Regional dress - Brokpa and Sharchop visitors in the market.

When to go

March to May and October to November. The tshechu falls in November on lunar dates. Monsoon brings landslides on the roads in and out. Access to the dzong is limited during working hours.

Practical notes

Much of the dzong is district administration and closed. Photography inside temples is forbidden. Trashigang is a long way east and the drive from central Bhutan takes days rather than hours. Accommodation is limited.

Nearby

Gom Kora lies north; Chorten Kora is beyond it at Trashiyangtse.

Key facts