So excited to visit the beautiful Punakha Dzong. The Punakha Dzong is often considered the most beautiful Dzong in the country, it is also the most important Dzong in Bhutanese history. Located in the Bhutanese State and formerly named Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong that translates to “the palace of bliss or great happiness,” Punakha Dzong was built in 1637. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan from 1637 to 1907, and the first national assembly was hosted here in 1953. It is the second oldest and second largest dzong in all of Bhutan. It took only about a year to finish the building of this Dzong, but by far the most impressive thing about this Dzong is that it was built without the use of nails, not even one. Wow!!! Most of Bhutan’s national treasures are kept inside this Dzong, and it was here that the King of Bhutan His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his beautiful wife, the Queen of Bhutan Jetsun Pema got married in October 2011. Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), the founder of the Tibetan Buddhism prophesied that a person by the name Namgyel would arrive at a hill that resembled an elephant. And true to his words, Namgyel built this fortress. The Punakha Dzong is 180m long and 72m wide, and the central tower is six stories high. The Dzong is located between the two major rivers in Bhutan, the Pho Chhu (pho means male) and Mo Chhu (mo means female). Therefore the only way to access the Dzong is to cross the bridge which was rebuilt in 2008 after the original 17th-century bridge was washed away during a flood in 1958. The amazing architecture and woodworkof the Punakha Dzong are amazing. The Punakha Dzong is unusual; it has three Docheys (courtyards) instead of the two thats normal in the other Dzongs around Bhutan . The first courtyard (northern) is for administrative functions and houses a big white Stupa and a Bodhi tree. On the southern side, northern Dochey´s are the six stories high Utse (Central Tower) located. The third Dochey is also the most important one; its where both the main temple, and the temple holding the national treasures are located, no one is allowed inside the treasury except the two guardian lamas, the king and the Je Khenpo (The Head of Bhutan Buddhism) although I almost accidently wandered in there. Yikes
It was amazing to view the one-hundred pillar hall featuring amazing murals. The inside of the Dzong is beautifully decorated with carved woodwork and colorful paintings. Besides, the Nag Yul Bum Temple houses the original volume of the Kanjur, which is the golden holy book of the Drupka School of Thought. Inside the main temple we witnessed the monks chanting, drumming, and blowing those long Tibetan style horns. One horn blowing monk had a cough and I was tempted to give him a throat lozenge. Sorry no photos as in all temples and monasteries it is shoes off and no photos!
Our Tour Manager, Sonam, did a great job of explaining all of theBuddhist symbolism. In addition to its strategic position surrounded by the two rivers, the Punakha Dzong has several other features to protect it against invasion. There´s only one entrance to the Dzong with extremely steep wooden entry stairs, that’s designed to be pulled up, and there is a heavy wooden door that is still closed at night. At the top of the steps the guards confiscated my GoPro for some reason but I got it back when descending the steep steps. In 1939 and 1944, the Tibetans attacked the Punakha Dzong but thanks to its defenders, the attack was averted, and the palace survived to stand the test of time. Great unforgettable experience. Thank you Gate 1 Travel and Sonam.

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