Bhutan – Wangdue Phodrang

This morning we visited Wangdue Phodrang Dzong.  It was originally built in the 15th century and sits high on a hillside.  According to the Lonely Planet book, there is a legend which suggests that four ravens were seen flying away in separate directions from this spot - considered a good sign and as such, the spot was chosen for this dzong.  It was to represent the spreading of religion in all directions.

This building has retained much of its original structure, despite some restorations following an earthquake and fire.  The roof is held in place by bamboo poles, lashed together with cane strips and then covered with wood pieces which acts as shingles.  These are weighed down by stones so that high winds don’t destroy the roof.

In fact we noticed that even the King’s home in Thimphu had these stones all over the roof.  Nima joked that possibly the King couldn’t afford a new roof.

(Nima, our guide in traditional dress (gho).  He is also wearing a white sash called a kabney which all Bhutan commoners must wear when visiting dzongs and temples.)

One of the highlights for me was seeing the inside of a prayer wheel.  I had heard that the ‘om mani padme hum’ mantra was written in ancient script repetitively on a scroll inside.  The outer casing on some of these prayer wheels looked like leather.  Due to the age of the dzong, it wasn’t surprising that over time, some of these outer casings would begin to wear and in one case, we saw one that had frayed/worn so much that you could see the script inside.

 

After seeing the dzong, we went to the local market which was within walking distance.  The market offered up fresh produce of all varieties.  We picked up some oranges for our journey back to Thimphu.

 

Our travels would take us back over Dochula Pass and retrace our route back to Thimphu -still 2-3/4 hours of driving ahead of us. 

I’m not sure why it is, but we think of Maureen often when we’re traveling. :::nudge, nudge, wink, wink:::  This is a drive where a bit of Gravol for a weak stomach might be in order -lots of twists and turns, switchbacks, high cliffs, narrow roads.  Best to just sit back and relax.