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 The
road winds up from Simtokha
Dzong into pine forest and through small
villages for 20 kilometers and then opens miraculously
onto the northern ridge of the mountains. The view over
the Himalayan panoply at Dorchula Pass at 10,500 feet
is one of the most spectacular in all Bhutan.
Punakha lies about two hours drive from Dorchula down
low in its valley. Commanding a sparse population, Punakha
Dzong is home to the central monk body and the Je Khenpo
during the milder winter months.
A
temperate climate and natural drainnage from the Phochu
(male) and Mochu (female) rivers, the fertile Punakha
valley produces abundant crops and fruits. Punakha served
as the capital of Bhutan until 1955.
Punakha Dzong was
strategically built at the junction of the two rivers
in the 17th century by the first Shabdrung to serve
as the religious and administrative centre. In spite
of four catastrophic fires and a devastating earthquake
that destroyed many historic documents, Punakha Dzong
houses sacred temples including the Marchen where the
embalmed body of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal lies in state.
The
Dzong has been fully restored by the present King. In
1993 the largest thongdrel, a religious embroidery composed
entirely of applique on silk brocade, that has ever
been created was dedicated to the Dzong and the people
of the Punakha valley by His Majesty King Jigme Singye
Wangchuck and the Je Khenpo at a three-day consecration
which brought together Bhutan's highest nobility.
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