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Punakha Dzongkhag lies to the east of Thimpu across the Dochu La
pass at over 3000 metres. The valley floor at around 1000
metres is significantly milder than the adjacent districts and you
notice the change in vegetation as soon as you cross the pass.
In addition to being the regional capital,
Punakha is, by virtue of its milder climate, also the winter capital
of Bhutan. Apparently the lama and all the monks decamp from
Thimpu every year to avoid the extreme cold of winter there, then
wander back again come spring.
The Dzong itself was constructed in the
seventeenth century when, according to the local mumbo jumbo, some
architect went to sleep and dreamt that it would be a good place to
build a palace for Guru Rinpoche; he also conveniently dreamt the
plans for the entire building. Having an excellent memory he
was able to supervise the construction according to divine
inspiration, but then as in theory Bhutanese buildings do not use
plans anyway (much like medieval Western cathedrals and such like)
no-one would have been able to challenge him anyway.
Also to be found in Punakha district is
Chimi Lhakgang, home to the "mad" (phallus obsessed) monk.
Despite the inevitable touristy stuff generated by this, it is
actually a rather beautiful monastery in a genuinely tranquil
location approached over fields on foot. No doubt their
current plans to build a road so tourists can get in and out quicker
will change all that, but for the time being... |
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