Punakha Dzong

Punakha Dzong, also known as Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong, or “The Palace of Bliss or Great Happiness,” was constructed in 1637.

According to legend, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the founder of Bhutan, picked the site for the imposing stronghold. The pride of Punakha Dzong is that it is both the second-oldest and second-largest dzong in Bhutan. The dzong is also part of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Buddhism in Bhutan. All of Bhutan’s kings have been crowned here, and it is still the winter residence of the dratshang (official monk body).

Punakha Dzong, is the most stunning dzong in the nation, especially in the spring when the lilac-hued jacaranda trees give the dzong’s distinctively tall whitewashed walls a luscious sensuality. Its exquisite design displays Bhutan’s top-tier architecture and the best examples of Bhutanese workmanship. Tourists can marvel at the wonderful murals in the “one hundred pillar hall,” which is a fascinating sight.