Paro Dzong/Rinpung Dzong

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Paro District, Bhutan, Asia

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Paro Dzong/Rinpung Dzong Photo, Bhutan, Asia

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Going for a Dzong

by koshkha

Northampton, United Kingdom

January 24, 2009

Best of IgoUgo For most visitors to Bhutan, Paro Dzong will be either the first or the last dzong that they visit in the country. This is due to its proximity to Paro Airport, the country's only air-link with the outside world. For us it was the first dzong and ...Read more For most visitors to Bhutan, Paro Dzong will be either the first or the last dzong that they visit in the country. This is due to its proximity to Paro Airport, the country's only air-link with the outside world. For us it was the first dzong and one to remember. As our plane landed and taxied along the runway my eyes swivelled to hunt out the big white block on the hillside which I knew from my pre-trip research would be the dzong.

The concept of a dzong is an unusual blend of the sacred and the secular and something that's found in Himalayan Buddhist communities but is most characteristically Bhutanese. Traditionally a dzong was a combination of a fortress crossed with a monastery whilst today most serve as a combination of monastery and local government administration centres. I find something engaging about the idea that a place full of peaceful meditating Buddhist monks would also have loads of people firing arrows at Tibetan armies who were attempting to invade.

Construction of the current dzong started in 1644 and was part of a mass dzong-building movement across Bhutan brought about by a need to defend against aggression from its neighbours. It's a fair bet that if you guess 17th Century when you see a dzong, you'll probably be right and equally fair to say that it's hard to date them just by looking as they all share the same design elements of massive whitewashed walls with a thick brown band near the roofline and because everything whether new or old is made in the same way and to the same standard of traditional craftsmanship. There must be a good business for dzong painters and people who rent out very long ladders in Bhutan.

The Paro Dzong sits on a hillside overlooking the river just outside the town. It's a great location for a defensive building as you really can see all the way up or down the Paro Valley for many miles in each direction. The river is known locally as the 'No Fish River' because, not surprisingly, there are no fish in it. Our guide tried to explain why but the advanced theories of aquaculture combined with his accent meant I just resorted to smiling and nodding as if I knew just what he was saying. I have to say though that if I was a fish, a river of glacial melt-water probably wouldn't be my first choice either.

We parked near to the wooden covered bridge that crosses the fish-free river and it was hard not to be impressed by the bulk of the dzong sitting above us. The walls, as in all dzongs, are very thick and lean inwards. There are slots in the walls for shooting at the invaders and from the outside you really can't peep in. It's the sort of look that says 'Keep away unless you have an invitation'. On the way up the steep hill to the entrance we welcomed the opportunity to stop and take photos of the valley, the airport and local houses with their traditional architecture. And of course, the opportunity to suck some thin clean air into our lungs which hadn't yet acclimatised to the altitude.

There's a single entrance to the dzong and it's on the back of the building so you need to go all the way up the hill and round the back. The entrance is reached up a flight of stairs and across a wooden bridge over a steep drop. I guess this bridge could be withdrawn in the event of an attack a little like the drawbridges of old moated European castles.

Before entering, our guide adjusted his attire to make sure he met the standards required of all Bhutanese when entering a government building. This mostly seems to consist of draping a very large cream shawl about the body in a complex and utterly impractical way. This met the approval of the policeman on the door and we were inside.

Inside we really didn't know what to expect and were thrilled with all the bright and detailed frescoes and religious paintings. These followed classic themes which soon became familiar to us over the week of our visit - the four protective kings, the wheel of life, the Four Friends and in the case of Paro, some fascinating scenes of men leading tigers which had allegedly leapt our of their knees. I can certainly say I could have used some tigers in my knees on some of the climbs we made that week.

Once inside, the dzong is rectangular in footprint with an inner tower and a number of separate courtyards. There are more than a dozen different temples inside but not all are open to visitors. If you look around you may catch site of red and purple-clad monks watching you from the upper balconies but somehow they always seem to melt away into invisibility if you sneak your camera in their direction. The decoration inside the dzong is a visual feast - it's hard to know what's old and what's new because everything knits together so consistently. The plain white walls set off the brightly coloured painted and carved wood, covered with dragons, flowers and symbols. Windows tend to be small - well it must be very cold in the winter - with strange arched shapes and lots of painted decoration. At the end nearest the town - and so furthest from the entrance - there are floor to ceiling windows that offer spectacular views over the valley.

As it was our first dzong, we didn't really know what to expect but we certainly weren't disappointed. I feared that those that followed might all be much of a muchness but each and every dzong was very different. Despite combining the same elements, the atmosphere and layout of each was unique. I have been to many Buddhist countries where I'm ashamed to admit that I became a bit jaded with temples, but no dzong ever disappointed. Close

From journal The Temples and Monasteries of the Paro Valley

Paro Dzong

by baroudeur2004

Liege, Belgium

September 16, 2007

Best of IgoUgo The most famous monument of Bhutan, the one you will see in many introductions to Bhutan, is Paro Dzong.This Dzong (monastery) may seem familiar to you. You might have forgotten it, but Paro Dzong was the place where a part of the movie 'Little ...Read more The most famous monument of Bhutan, the one you will see in many introductions to Bhutan, is Paro Dzong.

This Dzong (monastery) may seem familiar to you. You might have forgotten it, but Paro Dzong was the place where a part of the movie 'Little Buddha' by Bertold Bertolucci was filmed in the early 1990s. Paro Dzong became then famous abroad for a short time then was forgotten. This is Paro Dzong who made me dream of an unspoilt and inaccessible land, the last Shangri-La. Only thirteen years later, I was able to visit it.

Paro Dzong (Paro Monastery) is the monastic and administrative centre of South-West Bhutan. It is also called Rinchen Pung Dzong ('fortress on a heap of jewels'). It is an impressive building located outside the city itself, above a river. To enter it, you have to cross a wooden bridge (Nyamai Zam) before being welcomed by monks.

Paro Dzong will probably be your introduction to the architecture of Bhutanese temples and is always included in a standard Bhutanese tour. Entrance is free (but the guided visit is part of your 200 USD daily fare - see my overview).

Paro Dzong was built in 1646, but has been destroyed a number of times, either by fire or by earthquakes, but has been rebuilt every time. It is also the place where Paro Teschu festival is held in September. The architecture of Paro Dzong is characteristic of Bhutan and it has been copied by other dzongs throughout Bhutan.

Not all parts of the monastery are allowed to visitors, but you can visit the most important parts of it when the monks are not in it (the courtyard which was re-painted recently and the main temple). The administrative quarters (on the first floor of the Dzong) are out of bounds all year round.

From August, you can see the monks practising folkloric dances and songs for the Paro Tsechu Festival, which is held in September. The festival itself is impressive, with monks wearing wooden masks (just once, then the masks are sold to tourists) and performing Bhutanese dances to chase away the evils.

The Ta Dzong (the national museum is just above Paro Dzong on the hill) but it is only accessible by a long mountain road. I watched 'Little Buddha' once again after getting back home and suddenly the surroundings were becoming familiar. I could say I had been there. Even though Paro Dzong is not the most beautiful Bhutanese dzong I have seen, I can say it will be printed forever in my memory. Close

From journal Minitrip to Bhutan

Paro Dzong/Rinpung Dzong

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Going for a Dzong

Paro Dzong