Punakha Disticts

Punakha served as the capital of Bhutan until 1955 and still it is the winter seat of the Je Khenpo (Chief Abbot). Blessed with a temperate climate and fed by the Pho Chu (male) and Mo Chu (female) rivers, Punakha is the most fertile valley in the country. There are splendid views from Dochu-la pass (3,088m/10,130ft) on the Thimphu - Punakha road.

*Punakha Dzong:* Placed strategically at the junction of the Pho Chu and Mo Chu rivers, the Dzong was built in 1637 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to serve as the religious and administrative center of the region. Damaged over the centuries by four catastrophic fires and an earthquake, the Dzong has been fully restored in recent years by the present monarch and displays some of the best works of Bhutanese arts and crafts. The Dzong is open for visitors during the Punakha festival (early spring) and in the summer months, after the monk body has returned to Thimphu.

Traditionally and customarily, all Kings in Bhutan are ceremonially enthroned in the Central Prayer Hall of Punakha Dzong. The Royal Wedding of the 5th King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was also solemnized in the Dzong.

*Chimmi Lhakhang:*

Bhutan is a place where people believe in magic and mysticism. When a couple cannot have children, they pray for the blessings of the Chimi Lhakhang, the temple of fertility, blessed by the Divine Mad Man, in the 1500s. The walk to the temple will take about 45 minutes one way through rice paddy fields.