Phuntsholing, also spelled as Phuentsholing ( dz, ཕུན་ཚོགས་གླིང་), is a
border town in southern
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...
and is the
administrative seat of
Chukha District. The town occupies parts of both
Phuentsholing Gewog and
Sampheling Gewog.
Phuentsholing adjoins the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
n town of
Jaigaon, and cross-border trade has resulted in a thriving local economy. The town had the headquarters of the Bank of Bhutan previously but shifted to
Thimphu. In 2017, Phuentsholing had a population of 27,658.
History
On 5 April 1964, reformist
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
Jigme Dorji was assassinated in Phuntsholing by monarchist cadres as the king lay ill in Switzerland. The
Dorji family was subsequently put under close watch.
It was 1958 when the first one-storeyed cottage was constructed to house a shop. The late
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
,
Jigme Dorji informed Phuentsholing residents that concrete houses could be constructed.
Tashi group of companies constructed the first concrete house, followed by Tibetans and Indians. Some of the structures that exist to this day are the buildings housing Bhutan Enterprise, Jatan Prasad Lal Chand Prasad shop and a beauty parlour near Zantdopelri lhakhang. After the announcement, 18 shops were built around Zangdopelri area. The Zangdopelri area was a bus terminal, and on Saturday a market would be assembled. Apart from the cottages, there were several huts and Phuentsholing was beginning to grow.
Geography
Climate
Phuntsholing has a sultry
tropical monsoon climate
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
, strongly influenced by the South Asian
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
. It has an average annual precipitation of . Summers are long, muggy and very rainy, while winters are short, very mild and dry. This climate is described by the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
as ''Am''. On 27 August 1997, Phuntsholing recorded the highest temperature ever in Bhutan, at .
Architecture and culture
The India-Bhutan border at Phuntsholing clearly separates two very different peoples and cultures.
Jaigaon across the border is larger, bustling and loud, similar to many other
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
centres of commerce, albeit with many Bhutanese shoppers. Phuntsholing is uniquely more urban than other Bhutanese towns as it is the Bhutan financial, industrial and trading capital. It has been affected a little by the neighbouring culture, but is distinctly far more quiet and orderly than its neighbour.
Economy
The majority of goods traded into Bhutan transit through Phuntsholing, making the town the gateway to Bhutan for trade with India. The border with China is closed.
Indian border crossing
The border is separated by a long wall with a single Bhutanese gate. Locals can sometimes even cross without being asked for papers. Tourists from India, Bangladesh and Maldives do not need visa to enter Bhutan but have to show proof of identity such as a passport or voter ID card and apply for a permit at Phuntsholing to enter Bhutan. Other foreigners need a visa presented by a hired registered tour guide. The entry gate into the town is manned by the
Sashastra Seema Bal and
Bhutanese Army guards. The terrain inclines soon after the gate.
Transportation
The town does not have an airport facilities or railway but
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...
has railway stations nearby. A railway track has been planned from the nearest railway stone
Hashimara
Hasimara is a town in Alipurduar district of West Bengal state, India near the border with Bhutan. It is located at 26° 45' N latitude and 89° 21' E longitude at an altitude of 109 metres above sea level and has a population of about 40,000 (20 ...
in North Bengal to Phuntsholing.
Siliguri
Siliguri, ) is a major tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms "Twin Cities" with the neighboring district capital of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. Known as the ...
is the nearest large city in India.
New Jalpaiguri and
New Alipurduar are the nearest large railway junctions. Buses are available from the towns in North Bengal. Buses are operated by both Indian based companies and Bhutanese government. Once at Phuntsholing, the
Lateral Road gives travelers access to the rest of Bhutan.
From almost anywhere in the city, one can see the road to
Thimphu snaking up the hillside, and in the evening it is easy to see the headlights of distant vehicles heading towards the capital. Opposite the big ground PSA is the road that connects the rest of the cities of Bhutan. The
Lateral Road, Bhutan's main highway, begins in Phuntsholing and winds some
to
Trashigang in the east.
See also
*
Tourism in Bhutan
Tourism in Bhutan began in 1974, when the Government of Bhutan, in an effort to raise revenue and to promote Bhutanese unique culture and traditions to the outside world, opened its isolated country to foreigners. In 1974 a total of 287 tourists v ...
*
Transport in Bhutan
*
Bhutan-India Border
*
Püncogling Township
References
External links
*
'Himalayas' Sentry', Travelogue in The Indian Express, 21-09-08, by Arjun Razdan
{{Authority control
Populated places in Bhutan
Bhutan–India border crossings
Chukha District
Twin cities
Divided cities