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Dzong Architecture
Dzong architecture is used for dzongs, a distinctive type of fortified monastery ( dz, རྫོང, , ) architecture found mainly in Bhutan and Tibet. The architecture is massive in style with towering exterior walls surrounding a complex of courtyards, temples, administrative offices, and monks' accommodation. Characteristics Distinctive features include: * High inward sloping walls of brick and stone painted white with few or no windows in the lower sections of the wall * Use of a surrounding red ochre stripe near the top of the walls, sometimes punctuated by large gold circles * Use of unique style flared roofs atop interior temples * Massive entry doors made of wood and iron * Interior courtyards and temples brightly colored in Buddhist-themed art motifs such as the ashtamangala or swastika Regional differences Bhutan Dzongs serve as the religious, military, administrative, and social centers of their district. They are often the site of an annual ''tsechu'' or religious ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Administrative Divisions Of The Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region, an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, has three administrative divisional levels – prefectural, county, and township – as enumerated in the infobox on the right. Administrative divisions All of these administrative divisions are explained in greater detail at Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China. This chart lists only prefecture-level and county-level divisions of Tibet Autonomous Region. Administrative divisions history Recent changes in administrative divisions Population composition Prefectures Counties See also *List of township-level divisions of the Tibet Autonomous Region References Citations Sources THDL.org: Gazetteer of Tibet & the Himalayas {{Counties of China Tibet Autonomous Region Administrative divisions Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mo Chhu
Mo Chhu is a major river in Bhutan. The word "Chhu" means "river" or "water" in Dzongkha, the official national language in Bhutan. The river rises in Gasa Dzongkhag (district) near the border between Bhutan and Tibet. From there, the Mo Chhu flows generally southward to Punakha in central Bhutan, where it joins the Pho Chhu from the northeast. The confluence of the two streams is immediately below the Punakha Dzong, which is the winter home of the Dratshang Lhentshog (Central Monk Body) and the Je Khenpo. The combined streams are then joined by the Dang Chhu near the town of Wangdue Phodrang, and the name of the river becomes the Puna Tsang Chhu. The river then flows through Dagana and Tsirang Districts. After leaving Bhutan near the town of Lhamoidzingkha, formerly known as Kalikhola,From Damphu to Lhamoidzingkha, in the Bhutanese daily "Kuensel", 21 May 2020 https://kuenselonline.com/from-damphu-to-lhamoidzingkha/ the river enters Assam in India and is known as the Sankosh. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Punakha Dzong
The Punakha Dzong, also known as Pungthang Dewa chhenbi Phodrang (meaning "the palace of great happiness or bliss"), is the administrative centre of Punakha District in Punakha, Bhutan. Constructed by Ngawang Namgyal, 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche, in 1637–38, it is the second oldest and second-largest dzong in Bhutan and one of its most majestic structures. The dzong houses the sacred relics of the southern Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, including the Rangjung Kharsapani and the sacred remains of Ngawang Namgyal and the tertön Pema Lingpa. Punakha Dzong was the administrative center and the seat of the Government of Bhutan until 1955 when the capital was moved to Thimphu. It is listed as a tentative site in Bhutan's Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion. Geography The Dzong is located between the Pho Chhu (Male) and Mo Chhu (Female) river in the Punakha–valley. The source of the Mo chu river is in the northern hills of Lighsi and Laya in Bhutan, and i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wangdue Phodrang Dzong
Wangdue Phodrang District ( Dzongkha: དབང་འདུས་ཕོ་བྲང་རྫོང་ཁག་; Wylie: ''Dbang-'dus Pho-brang rdzong-khag''; previously spelled "Wangdi Phodrang") is a dzongkhag (district) of central Bhutan. This is also the name of the dzong (built in 1638) which dominates the district, and the name of the small market town outside the gates of the dzong—it is the capital ( dzongkhag thromde) of Wangdue Phodrang District). The name is said to have been given by the Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal who was searching for the best location for a dzong to prevent incursions from the south. The word "wangdue" means unification of Country, and "Phodrang" means Palace in Dzongkha. Wangdue Phodrang is the largest dzongkhag in Bhutan by area and is bordered by Dagana and Tsirang dzongkhags to the south, Tongsa dzongkhag to the east, Thimphu and Punakha dzongkhag to the west, and Gasa dzongkhag and a small section of border with Tibet to the north. It is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paro, Bhutan
Paro ( dz, སྤ་རོ་) is a town and seat of Paro District, in the Paro Valley of Bhutan. It is a historic town with many sacred sites and historical buildings scattered throughout the area. It is also home to Paro International Airport, Bhutan's sole international airport. Paro International Airport is served by Drukair. Architecture The main street has many examples of traditionally decorated buildings. The Dungtse Lhakhang (a 15th-century temple) and the Ugyen Perli Palace are near the new bridge. Members of royal family lodge in the palace when in Paro. Nearby is the old bridge and the Rinpung Dzong. Notable hotels include the Olathang Hotel built in an ornate style. About outside Paro is the famous Paro Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) Buddhist monastery and hermitage. Some Bhutanese believe that Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) flew on the back of a tigress to this location from Tibet. The trek to Tiger's Nest monastery takes about three hours one way. A scenic view of the t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tang Chuu
The Tang Chuu is a tributary of the Mo Chhu in western Bhutan. Course It originates in the Himalayas near Thowadra Gompa. It receives numerous hill streams, including the Yenyer Chhu. It joins the Mo Chhu, which later takes on the name of Sankosh, at Wangdi Phodrang. Bumthang There are four major valleys in the Bumthang region: Chokhor, Tang, Ura and Chhume. Tang is the most remote of Bumthang’s valleys. It is at a higher altitude than Chokhor. The poor soil does not support much agriculture but people in the valley raise sheep, and higher up the mountains yaks. When buckwheat flowers bloom in October, the valley turns bright pink. Farmhouses are scattered in the valley and on the hills. Gamling is a wealthy village, with wonderful wall paintings. It is well known for yathra weaving, a method of weaving with wool unique to the Bumthang area. The Burning Lake A picturesque pool in the Tang Chuu is known as Membartsho (Burning Lake). Pema Lingpa found many of Guru Rinpoche’s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sankosh River
Sankosh (also Mo Chu, and Svarnakosha) is a river that rises in northern Bhutan and empties into the Brahmaputra in the state of Assam in India. In Bhutan, it is known as the Puna Tsang Chu below the confluences of several tributaries near the town of Wangdue Phodrang. The two largest tributaries are the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu, which flow together at Punakha. The Punakha dzong, which is situated immediately above the confluence of the two rivers, is one of the most beautiful dzongs in Bhutan and the winter residence of the Dratshang Lhentshog. The upper reaches of the Pho Chhu are susceptible to ice blockages, and the dzong has been damaged on several occasions by glacial lake outburst floods. After it enters in India, it flows on the border of Assam and West Bengal. At Wangdue Phodrang, elevation , the river is joined by the west flowing Tang Chuu and it enters a precipitous gorge. The highway running south from Wangdue Phodrang to Dagana follows the river for much of its cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wangdue Phodrang
Wangdue Phodrang (, Dzongkha 'Wangdi Phodr'a) is a town and capital (dzongkhag thromde) of Wangdue Phodrang District in central Bhutan. It is located in Thedtsho Gewog. History The town shares its name with the Wangdue Phodrang Dzong built in 1638 that dominates the district. The name is said to have been given by Ngawang Namgyal, the 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche, who was searching for the best location for a dzong to prevent incursions from the south. At the chosen spot, the Zhabdrung encountered a boy named Wangdi playing beside the river and hence named the dzong "Wangdi's Palace". Fire and reconstruction Wangdi Phodrang Dzong burnt down in the afternoon of 24 June 2012, supposedly because of a faulty electrical water cooker. However, the dzong was being renovated at the time, so most of the historical relics had already been put into storage and were saved from destruction. Shortly after the fire, more than 1000 Japanese sympathizers donated an equivalent of over US$134,500 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zhabdrung Rinpoche
Zhabdrung (also Shabdrung; ; "before the feet of ones submit") was a title used when referring to or addressing great lamas in Tibet, particularly those who held a hereditary lineage. In Bhutan the title almost always refers to Ngawang Namgyal (1594–1651), the founder of the Bhutanese state, or one of his successive reincarnations. Ngawang Namgyal The lineage traces through the founder of the country, Ngawang Namgyal, a high Drukpa Lineage lama from Tibet who was the first to unify the warring valley kingdoms under a single rule. He is revered as the third most important figure behind Padmasambhava and Shakyamuni Buddha by the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Ngawang Namgyal established the dual system of government under the "Great Tsa Yig" legal code. Under this system, political power was vested in an administrative leader, the Druk Desi, assisted by a collection of local governors or ministers called penlops. A religious leader, the Je Khenpo, held ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ngawang Namgyal
Ngawang Namgyal (later granted the honorific Zhabdrung Rinpoche, approximately "at whose feet one submits") (; alternate spellings include ''Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel''; 1594–1651) and known colloquially as The Bearded Lama, was a Tibetan Buddhist ''lama'' and the unifier of Bhutan as a nation-state. In addition to unifying the various warring fiefdoms for the first time in the 1630s, he also sought to create a distinct Bhutanese cultural identity separate from the Tibetan culture from which it was derived. Birth and enthronement at Ralung ''Zhabdrung'' Ngawang Namgyal was born at Ralung () Monastery, Tibet as the son of the Drukpa lineage-holder Mipham Tenpa'i Nyima (, 1567–1619), and Sönam Pelgyi Butri (), daughter of the ruler of Kyishö () in Tibet. On his father's side, Ngawang Namgyal descended from the family line of Tsangpa Gyare (1161–1211), the founder of the Drukpa Lineage. In his youth, Ngawang Namgyal was enthroned as the eighteenth Drukpa or throne-holder ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
