Trongsa

Trongsa (The new village) has been a place of great significance in the history of Bhutan. It is the ancestral home of Bhutan’s Royal Family and it was from this region that the first two kings ruled the country from. It was only during the reign of the Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck that the summer capital got shifted to Thimphu.

Trongsa Dzong, which was known as Druk Minjur Chhoekhor Rabten Tse as it had been established by Chhoeje Minjur Tempa, acted as the control center for the whole of eastern Bhutan.

The ancient trade routes used to pass right through the Dzong. The Dzong which is the longest in the country has been witness to many significant events that shaped the history of Bhutan since the 16th century. It is at the Trongsa Dzong that the future kings of Bhutan formalize their accession to the Golden Throne by being appointed the Chhoetse Penlop before being enthroned as the King of Bhutan. Ugyen Wangchuk the first hereditary monarch had been serving as the Trongsa Penlop or the Chhoetse Penlop before being unanimously elected as the King in 1907.

Places of interest:

- Trongsa Dzong An architectural masterpiece, Trongsa Dzong rises in stages up the side of a hill overlooking the river. It was built in 1644 by Minjur Tenpa on the site of a temple erected a century earlier by Ngagi Wangchuk. The Dzong has been constantly enlarged and today comprises of more than twenty temples.

- Ta Dzong or the watch tower which once served as a lookout point of Dzong, stands impressively above the Dzong and provides a visitor with more insight into the historical significance of Trongsa in Bhutan’s history.

- Chendebji Chorten, a startlingly white stone chorten located on the banks of Nikkar Chhu, was uniquely built in the Nepalese style with eyes painted on all four sides. It was built in the 18^th century by Lam Sidha, a Tibetan lama, in order to suppress a demon that had been troubling the inhabitants of the valley.