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This town, perched on steep slopes above a river
gorge, forms the central hub of the nation and is
the place from where attempts at unifying the
country were launched in former times. The landscape
around Tongsa is spectacular and its impressive
dzong, stretched along a ridge above a ravine, first
comes into view about an hour before the winding,
mountain road leads you into the town itself.
Chendebji Chorten: En route to Tongsa is
Chendebji Chorten, patterned on Kathmandu’s
Swayambhunath Stupa, with eyes painted at the four
cardinal points. It was built in the 18th century by
Lama Shida from Tibet, to cover the
remains of an evil spirit that was subdued at this
spot.
Tongsa Dzong: Built in 1648, it was the seat of
power over central and eastern Bhutan. Both the
first and second kings of Bhutan ruled the country
from this ancient seat. All four kings were invested
as Tongsa Penlop (“governor”) prior to ascending the
throne, and the present Crown Prince now holds the
post. The dzong is a massive structure with many
levels, sloping down the contours of the ridge on
which it is built. Because of the dzong’s highly
strategic position, on the only connecting route
between east and west, the Tongsa Penlop was able to
control effectively the whole of the central and
eastern regions of the country from here. |
