Palace of Great Happiness, Punakha Dzong–Part 1

Punakha Dzong from Northwest with Mo Chhu in foreground

Built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1637-38, Punakha’s dzong is the second oldest and second largest of Bhutan’s dzongs. It’s official name “Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong” means palace of great happiness or bliss. Until the capital was moved to Thimphu, this was the administrative center of Bhutan; the clergy still winter here.

Punakha Dzong with Mo Chhu in foreground

The dzong is beautifully situated at the confluence of the Pho (Father) Chhu and Mo (Mother) Chhu.

Punakha Dzong from Pho Chhu

Over the centuries there have been additions and renovations, some necessitated the 1897 earthquake and numerous fires, the last of which was in 1986. In addition to the 1986 fire, many of the wooden structures within the walls had been allowed to deteriorate over the years. Therefore, in the late 1980s the king ordered a complete reconstruction. After a significant amount of work had been done, the foundation was determined to be inadequate, and much of the work had to be redone after the foundation was strengthened. Then, in 1994, a massive flash flood occurred on the Pho, and additional restoration work was added to the already long list of projects, along with flood control. If my interpretation of this website about the dzong’s reconstruction is correct, work was not completed until 2004.

Punakha Dzong–Southeast Corner

Work continues on flood control though, and even more is planned. The problem is GLOFs—Glacial Lake Outburst Floods—at the headwaters of the Pho. According to Pelden, the Pho once flowed as close to the dzong as the Mo still does. Plans call for the confluence to be moved 900 feet downstream.

Dredging the Mo Chhu

When we arrived at Punakha Dzong on Sunday morning, the blue dredger was working to free the yellow one, which was stuck in the middle of the river. The above picture was taken mid-day on Monday. The very first picture on Tuesday afternoon. In my three days at the dzong, the driver of the blue machine always seemed to be working, even though most locals were attending the festival inside the dzong. It’s hard to see in these pictures, but in that time, a lot of stones and gravel were moved.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 at 5:24 pm and is filed under Architecture, Bhutan, Journal Himalayas 2010. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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