Welcome to Thimphu, the capital and largest city of Bhutan, in the western central part of the kingdom. The city stretches north to south along the valley of the Wang Chhu river, at altitudes between 2,248 and 2,648 metres, making it the highest capital in Asia. Thimphu replaced the ancient capital Punakha in 1955 and was officially declared the capital in 1961. Surprisingly, it has no airport of its own; visitors arrive at Paro, 52 kilometres away by road. Each year the Tshechu festival fills the courtyards of Tashichho Dzong with masked dances. Let's begin.
Tashichho Dzong
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsOn the northern edge of the city, beside the Wang Chu river, stands Tashichho Dzong, a Buddhist monastery and fortress. It has traditionally been the seat of the head of Bhutan's civil government, an office combined with the kingship since the monarchy was created in 1907. Its name means the fortress of auspicious doctrine. Look up at the whitewashed walls: towers at each of the four corners are crowned with triple-tiered golden roofs, and a large central tower rises in the middle. In old British documents it was known as Tassisudon.
Buddha Dordenma statue
Gazing over the southern approach to Thimphu sits the Great Buddha Dordenma, a gigantic statue of the Shakyamuni Buddha, 54 metres tall. Made of gilded bronze, it was completed in 2015 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The most surprising part is inside: the statue houses over one hundred thousand smaller gilded bronze Buddhas. It stands amid the ruins of Kuensel Phodrang, the palace of a 13th-century head of government, and is said to fulfil ancient prophecies of blessings and peace for the whole world.
Memorial Chorten
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsWith its golden spires and bells, the Memorial Chorten is one of the city's most prominent landmarks, often called the most visible religious landmark in Bhutan. This stupa, 33 metres tall, was built in 1974 to honour the third king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. It was built by his mother, the queen. And here is what makes it unusual: unlike other stupas, it does not enshrine human remains. Instead, only a photograph of the king in ceremonial dress adorns a hall on the ground floor.
Simtokha Dzong
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAbout 5 kilometres south of Thimphu, on a prominent ridge, stands Simtokha Dzong. Its full name means palace of the profound meaning of secret mantras. It was built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the man who unified Bhutan, and it was the first dzong of its kind in the country, the oldest to survive in its original form. Its position was strategic, watching over the valley and the roads east. Today this former monastery houses one of the premier institutes for learning the Dzongkha language.
Motithang Takin Preserve
Photo: Stephen Shephard · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsMeet the takin, the national animal of Bhutan, here at the Royal Takin Preserve in the Motithang district. It began as a mini-zoo, but when the animals were set free, they refused to live in the surrounding forest, so it became a preserve. Legend says the takin was created in the 15th century by Drukpa Kunley, the Divine Madman. Asked to perform a miracle, he first ate a whole cow and a whole goat for lunch, then fixed the goat's head onto the cow's bones and brought the creature to life.
Dochula Pass
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsOn the road from Thimphu to Punakha, high in the snowy Himalayas, lies the Dochu La pass. Here you will find 108 memorial chortens, the Druk Wangyal Chortens, built by the eldest Queen Mother in memory of Bhutanese soldiers who died in 2003. Nearby stands a temple honouring the fourth king. On a clear day, look to the north-east and you will see the snow-clad peaks of the Himalayas, among them Gangkar Puensum, the highest mountain in Bhutan, at 7,570 metres.
Lomakuume
