punakha

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{{Contains special characters|Tibetan}}

{{main|Punakha Dzong}}

Pungthang Dewachen Phodrang (Palace of Great Happiness) or Punakha Dzong was constructed by Tuebi Zaow Balip under the great command of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1637 and believed to have been completed in a two-year time period. It is also the country's most beautiful Dzong. It is the winter residence of Bhutan's Central Monastic Body led by the Je Khenpo. The Dzong houses the most sacred relics of the Southern Drukpa Kagyu school including the Rangjung Kasarpani, and the sacred remains of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and Tertön Padma Lingpa.

File:Punakha Dzong5.jpg]]

In 1907, Punakha Dzong was the site of the coronation of Ugyen Wangchuck as the first King of Bhutan. Three years later, a treaty was signed at Punakha whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs.

In 1780, 1789, 1802, 1831, 1849, and in 1986, the dzong was partially destroyed by fire. It also experienced an Earthquake in 1897 and a flood in 1994.{{cite web|url=http://www.raon.ch/pages/bt/visin/bt_punakha02.html|title=Punakha Dzong and Monastery|publisher=RAO Online|language=English|accessdate=9 July 2021}}

Due to its location at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers in the Punakha-Wangdue valley, the dzong is vulnerable to flash flooding caused by glacier lakes (GLOF). According to a recent report, flash flood damage to Punakha Dzong occurred in 1957, 1960 and 1994.{{cite conference | last = Chhopel | first = Karma | title = Flash Floods and Debris Flows due to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods | book-title = Proceedings of the International Workshop on Flash Flood Forecasting coordinated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service and the World Meteorological Organization, San José, Costa Rica, March 2006 | publisher = Hydro-Met Services Division, Dept. of Energy, Ministry of Trade and Industry | location = Thimphu, Bhutan | date = 2006-03-15 | format = ppt | url=http://www.nws.noaa.gov/iao/FFW/2006/Presentations/Session%207/CHHOPHEL-BHUTAN.ppt | others = [http://www.nws.noaa.gov/iao/iao_FFW.php Conference web site (NOAA)], [http://www.nws.noaa.gov/iao/FFW/2006/Presentations/Session%207/Ab_04_Chhophel.pdf Abstract (pdf)]}} In March 2010, works were started in order to protect the dzong from flood damage by deepening the river channels and raising the embankments.

A covered wooden cantilever bridge crossing the Mo Chhu river was built together with the Dzong in the 17th century. This bridge was washed away by a flash flood in 1957 or 1958. In 2006 work started on a new covered wooden cantilever bridge of traditional construction with a free span of 55 meters which was completed in 2008 with the help from Germany.{{cite web

| last = Nestroy << | first = H. N.

| title = Re-construction of the Cantilever Bridge crossing the Mochhu (Mo-River) connecting Punakha village and Punakha Dzong in adapted traditional Bhutanese architecture.

| publisher = Pro Bhutan e.v.

| date = 2008

| url = http://www.probhutan.com/e_html/bruecke_Mochhu.htm

| access-date = 2009-01-23}}

The Punakha district is divided in 11 administrative blocks called Gewogs. Gewogs are an administrative division under a Dzongkhag or a district. The eleven Gewogs are: {{cite web |date=21 June 2024 |title=About Dzongkhag |url=http://www.punakha.gov.bt/en/about-dzongkhag#:~:text=The%20Dzongkhag%20is%20administratively%20divided,%2C%20soil%2C%20and%20climatic%20conditions.}}

• Barp
• Chubbu
• Dzomi
• Goenshari
• Gumakha
• Kabjisa
• Lingmukha
• Shengana
• Talo
• Toepisa
• Toedwong

The District has two seats in the National Assembly representing the 2 constintuencies of Lingmu-Toedwong and Kabji-Talo Constituency.

Punakha valley is famous in Bhutan for rice farming. Both red and white rice are grown along the river valley of Pho and Mo Chu,{{Cite web|title=Ritsha Village of Punakha Valley, Places to visit in Punakha, Best time to visit Ritsha Village {{!}} Bhutan Holidays|url=https://bhutanholidays.net/punakha-ritsha-village|access-date=2020-06-11|website=bhutanholidays.net}} two of the most prominent rivers in Bhutan. Ritsha (meaning at the base of a hill) is a typical village in Punakha. The village houses are made of pounded mud with stone foundations. Each house is only two stories high. Surrounding the houses are the gardens and the rice fields. The gardens also usually have fruit-bearing plants like oranges and papayas. The village is 1 km away from Punakha-Gasa highway and currently, the villagers are engaged in constructing the 1 km farm road. In recent years, the farming work is mechanized and power-tillers instead of bullocks are used to plough the fields and villagers have become relatively prosperous. This village is often called the ‘rice bowl’ of Bhutan due to abundance of red and white rice.{{Cite web|title=An Overview of Ritsha Village in Punakha Valley That You Must Visit {{!}} Bhutan Tourism|url=https://www.tourmyindia.com/international/bhutan/ritsha-village-punakha/|access-date=2020-06-11|website=Bhutan}}

Punakha Domchoe, which takes place in the first month of the Bhutanese year, is an important event in Bhutanese culture, combining powerful rites with a dazzling display of horsemanship and sword play.{{Cite book |title=Dzongs of Bhutan: fortresses of the Dragon kingdom |date=2008 |publisher=Bhutan Times |isbn=978-99936-705-2-0 |editor-last=Bstan-vdzin-rnam-rgyal |edition=2. |location=Thimphu}}

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Punakha elevation {{convert|1236|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1990–2017 normals)

|Jan record high C = 27.0

|Feb record high C = 30.5

|Mar record high C = 34.0

|Apr record high C = 35.5

|May record high C = 36.0

|Jun record high C = 37.0

|Jul record high C = 36.0

|Aug record high C = 35.5

|Sep record high C = 35.0

|Oct record high C = 35.0

|Nov record high C = 32.5

|Dec record high C = 28.0

|Jan record low C = 0.0

|Feb record low C = 0.0

|Mar record low C = 2.0

|Apr record low C = 8.0

|May record low C = 10.0

|Jun record low C = 12.0

|Jul record low C = 15.0

|Aug record low C = 13.5

|Sep record low C = 12.0

|Oct record low C = 7.0

|Nov record low C = 1.0

|Dec record low C = 1.0

|Jan high C = 18.8

|Feb high C = 20.7

|Mar high C = 23.9

|Apr high C = 26.8

|May high C = 28.8

|Jun high C = 30.5

|Jul high C = 30.7

|Aug high C = 30.4

|Sep high C = 29.3

|Oct high C = 27.4

|Nov high C = 23.9

|Dec high C = 20.2

| year high C =

|Jan mean C = 12.3

|Feb mean C = 14.3

|Mar mean C = 17.6

|Apr mean C = 20.6

|May mean C = 23.1

|Jun mean C = 25.2

|Jul mean C = 25.8

|Aug mean C = 25.5

|Sep mean C = 24.4

|Oct mean C = 22.0

|Nov mean C = 17.7

|Dec mean C = 13.8

| year mean C =

|Jan low C = 5.8

|Feb low C = 7.9

|Mar low C = 11.2

|Apr low C = 14.4

|May low C = 17.3

|Jun low C = 19.9

|Jul low C = 20.8

|Aug low C = 20.6

|Sep low C = 19.4

|Oct low C = 16.6

|Nov low C = 11.4

|Dec low C = 7.3

| year low C =

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 13.7

|Feb rain mm = 21.7

|Mar rain mm = 17.1

|Apr rain mm = 43.5

|May rain mm = 85.4

|Jun rain mm = 143.2

|Jul rain mm = 157.9

|Aug rain mm = 147.9

|Sep rain mm = 101.0

|Oct rain mm = 46.2

|Nov rain mm = 4.7

|Dec rain mm = 3.6

|year rain mm =

| Jan humidity = 75.1

| Feb humidity = 75.9

| Mar humidity = 74.2

| Apr humidity = 73.6

| May humidity = 76.4

| Jun humidity = 79.5

| Jul humidity = 81.2

| Aug humidity = 80.9

| Sep humidity = 81.8

| Oct humidity = 78.4

| Nov humidity = 77.0

| Dec humidity = 76.5

| year humidity =

|source 1 = National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology{{cite web

| url = https://www.nchm.gov.bt/attachment/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Climate%20Data%20Book%20of%20Bhutan%2C%202018.pdf

| title = Climate Data Book of Bhutan, 2018

| publisher = National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology

| accessdate = 20 February 2025}}

}}

• Dzong architecture
• Driglam Namzha
• Ngawang Namgyal

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.punakha.gov.bt/en/about-dzongkhag#:~:text=The%20Dzongkhag%20is%20administratively%20divided,%2C%20soil%2C%20and%20climatic%20conditions./ Punakha Government Website]
• {{wikivoyage inline}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110707232125/http://bhutan-360.com/punakha-dzong/ Inside information about Punakha Dzong]

• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/bhutan-360/sets/72157616540269786/ Pictures of Punakha Dzong on Flickr]
• [http://www.pbase.com/dannyc/bhutan&page=4 Photo gallery of Punakha Dzong (Nov 2005)]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20041209142131/http://www.innogize.com/gallery/asia_bhutan_punakha.html Photos of Punakha Dzong]
• [https://northbengaltourism.com/bhutan-tour-packages/ Punakha Bhutan Tour]

• [http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Shabdrung_Ngawang_Namgyal Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal at the Dharma Dictionary]
• [https://bhutanculturaltravel.com/punakha-places-to-visit/ Punakha Places to visit]

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Category:Populated places in Bhutan

Category:Punakha District

Category:Former national capitals