Dzongchung at Punakha Dzong

Dzongchung at Punakha Dzong

Its located beside the Punakha Dzong and is older then the all Dzongs in Bhutan which were built in 17th Century by Lama Zhamdrung Ngawang Namgyal.
In 1994 a catastrophic flood damaged the Dzongchung although the Jhou (Buddha image) was miraculously saved. Originally built in 1374 by the great sage Dupthop Ngagi Rinchhen, the Dzongchung was restored in 1996 and consecrated by His Holiness, Geshe Gueden Rinchhen, the 69th Je Khenpo. Besides enlarging the plinth area to 1,500 square feet from the previous 590 square feet a large retaining wall, 25 to 35 feet in height, was constructed around the Dzongchhung, using stone masonry and cement mortar.
It was my third time already visiting this place but it was a colorful scene and a marvelous light falling, the ideal moment for shooting fotos.

(The foto captured in April 2000 during my third tour in Bhutan the transnational highway from Paro in the west to Sandrup Jongkhar in eastern Bhutan the borderline to Asaam in India. Scanned with NIKON CoolScan V ED.)