Bhutan12 Punakha Dzong1

2. Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in Asia. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, Bhutan is geopolitically in South Asia. Thimphu is its capital and largest city

4. Punakha is the adminis-trative centre of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu

5. Confluence of the Pho Chhu (father) and Mo Chhu (mother) rivers in the Punakha–Wangdue valley

7. Punakha is about 72 km away from Thimphu and it takes about 3 hours by car from the capital Thimphu

10. Pungthang Dewachen Phodrang (Palace of Great Happiness) or Punakha Dzong was constructed in 1637 and believed to have been completed in a two year time period

11. It is also the country's most beautiful Dzong

12. In 1907, Punakha Dzong was the site of the coronation of the first King of Bhutan

13. Three years later, a treaty was signed at Punakha whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs

14. All of Bhutan's kings have been crowned here

15. Punakha Dzong is the winter residence of Bhutan's Central Monastic Body led by HH the Je Khenpo

16. The Dzong houses the most sacred relics of the Southern Drukpa Kagyu school

17. Frequent fires (the latest in 1986) have damaged the dzong, as did the severe 1897 earthquake. In 1994 a glacial lake burst on the Pho Chhu, causing damage to the dzong that has since been repaired

18. Access to the dzong is across the Bazam bridge, which was rebuilt in 2008 after the original 17th-century bridge was washed away in floods in 1958

19. The flood was reinforced by drift wood of thousands of uprooted trees. It disintegrated the bridge and the right bridge tower opposite the Dzong

20. There are many such bridges throughout Bhutan, typically strongly built, highly ornate and festooned with flags

21. The longest Bazam ever built in Bhutan is the new one to the Punakha Dzong, with a free span of 56 meters (without any supports between the banks of the river)

22. It is possible the longest wooden cantilever bridge in the world, designed, planned, financed by “Pro Bhutan, Germany”, inaugurated 10 May 2008

23. It replaced the original Bazam, built around 1637 and destroyed 1958 by a flood

24. On top of the bridge towers and in the middle of the roof covering the bridge, there are fixed “gyaltshen”, the Royal Umbrella, as symbol of Royal protection, in particular on Bazams leadingto Dzongs

25. The room above the bridge entrance has displays on the renovations and on Bhutanese cantilever bridge architecture

27. For the construction, 165 beams were required. Suitable Chir Pine trees had to be found, among them 2 dozen trees of 40 meters. These exceedingly high trees were found only on steep and inaccessible mountain slopes up to 30 km from Punakha

28. Experienced Bhutanese carpenters, with their simple tools, carved and joined the 4 massive gates of the two bridge towers, the hand railings, columns and lintels for the roof of the Bazam

29. All the work force was supervised by site engineer Padam Bahadur Chuwan. Attention had to be given to special flood protection of the new tower. Dzong and Bazam are situated in the “red danger area” of GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods). Professor Dr. Juerg Speerli of the University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil, Switzerland, designed the concept: 32 armed concrete pipes would form a semicircular barrier and support the platform on which the foundation of the tower is built. They were placed vertically into the river bed. Each pipe is 3.5 meters long, weighs 8 tons, and was cast at the site and filled with concrete and gravel

32. In addition, 700 “Toscanes” (double-T-formed concrete blocks) each weighing 700 kg, were cast at the site and placed into the riverbed in front of the pipe barrier. Hundreds of natural boulders, each weighing 500 to 1000 kg, were piled on top of the “Toscanes”, adding to the protection and hiding the ungainly concrete pipes and blocks

37. PunakhaDzong is arguably the most beautiful dzong in the country, especially in spring when the lilac-coloured jacaranda trees bring a lush sensuality to the dzong's characteristically towering whitewashed walls

39. Confluence of the Pho Chhu (father) and Mo Chhu (mother) rivers in the Punakha–Wangdue valley

40. Cantilever Bridge Punakha Dzong

42. Bridge Tower

43. Bridge Tower detail

50. 2018 Text: Internet Pictures: Internet & Mariana Doboş All  copyrights  belong to their  respective owners Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu https://www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda https://ma-planete.com/michaelasanda Sound Phayul Bhutanese Music - Traditional Song & Dance