Wangdue Phodrang Drong

SIGHTSEEING, BHUTAN Updated : Sep 2, 2016, 10.32 AM IST

Swati Jain

Swati Jain has been travelling the world since she was a kid and has explored parts of Europe, US, UK and India. Since she quit her cubicle job in 2013, Swati has been backpacking in and around India covering 145 cities across 20 states. Her expertise lies in writing the travel, hotel and food guides. She blogs at www.buoyantfeet.com

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Founded by Zhabdrung in 1638, Wangdue holds historical importance for Bhutan since it was the country's second capital in the early days. It is located on the top of a high ridge between the Punak Tsang Chu and Dang Chu since it offers fantastic views of the valley below. According to the legends, while people were searching for a site to build this dzong, the four ravens were seen flying away in four different directions. This was considered a promising sign for the dzong. The ravens were interpreted as the spread of religion in all the four different direction of the compass. The strategic position of the dzong, established in 1644 gave the governor (Penlop) of Wangdue Phodrang a chance to control the routes to Trongsa, Punakha, Dagana and Thimphu, making him the third most powerful ruler, after governors of Paro and Trongsa. The Dzong got damaged in 2012 owning to fire but is getting restored for the public.

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