Lhuentse Dzong is a

dzong Dzong architecture is used for dzongs, a distinctive type of fortified monastery (, , ) architectural style, architecture found mainly in Bhutan and Tibet. The architecture is massive in style with towering exterior walls surrounding a complex of ...

and

Buddhist monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

in Lhuentse District in eastern

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

. It lies on the eastern side of the

Kuri Chhu The Kuri Chhu, also known as the Lhozhag Xung Qu () or Norbu Lag Qu (), is a major river of eastern Bhutan, that has formed a scenic valley with high peaks and steep hills. Kuri Chhu is a tributary of the Manas River system, which is the largest ...

and is perched on a spur at the end of a narrow valley. The Dzong was initially known as ''Kurtoed'' in the then-isolated Lhuentse District. It is the ancestral home of the

House of Wangchuck The Wangchuck dynasty () have held the hereditary position of Druk Gyalpo ("Dragon King") of Bhutan since 1907. Prior to reunification, the Wangchuck family had governed the district of Trongsa as descendants of Dungkar Choji. They eventually ...

( ''Dasho'' Jigme Namgyal was born there in 1825). While its geographic coordinates are in eastern Bhutan, its cultural roots are central Bhutanese. This was because before road traffic connected it to Mongar, the approach was through a trade route crossing Rodang Pass.

Topography

The Dzong is located in the Kuri Chhu valley, which is part of the Lhuentse district. The

is the major river that has formed the scenic valley with high peaks and steep hills. Kuri Chhu is a tributary of the

Manas River The Manas River (pron: �mʌnəs, known in Bhutan as the Drangme Chhu, is a transboundary river in the Himalayan foothills between southern Bhutan, India, and China. It is the largest of Bhutan's four major river systems, with the other three ...

system, which is the largest river of Bhutan and a major tributary of the

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese language, Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, the Siang/Dihan ...

that drains most of Eastern Bhutan. The road from Mongar to Lheuntse Dzong is a 3 hours drive over a distance of and from its junction at Gangola. The approach to this Dzong is over a flag-stone-paved path over the steep cliffs.

History

According to one legend, Khedrup Kuenga Wangpo, son of

Tertön In Tibetan Buddhism, a Tertön () is a person who is a discoverer of ancient hidden texts or '' terma''. Many tertöns are considered to be incarnations of the twenty five main disciples of Padmasambhava ( Guru Rinpoche), who foresaw a dark time in ...

Pema Lingpa Pema Lingpa or Padma Lingpa (, 1450–1521) was a Bhutanese saint and siddha of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is considered a ''terchen'' or "preeminent tertön" (, discoverer of spiritual treasures) and is considered to be foremos ...

was assigned to find a ridge resembling the trunk of an elephant. He found one opposite Baeyul Khenpajong and meditated there. This location came to be known as Kurtoed Lhuentse Phodrang. Student monks

The monastery was originally established by

's son Kuenga Wanpo in 1543, although it wasn't until 1654 that the '' Trongsa penlop'' (governor),

Minjur Tenpa The Third Desi Chogyal Minjur Tempa ( born Damchho Lhendrub in 1613) was the third Druk Desi, the secular head of Bhutan, and previously the first penlop (governor) of Trongsa (''Trongsab''). His tenure as penlop was notable for the building of a ...

, built a formal dzong here after winning a battle and named it Lhuentse Rinchentse. The dzong was later restored in 1962 and again between 1972 and 1974. The historic importance of Lhuentse Dzongkhag is on account of its established link as the ancestral home of the

Wangchuck Dynasty The Wangchuck dynasty () have held the hereditary position of Druk Gyalpo ("Dragon King") of Bhutan since 1907. Prior to reunification, the Wangchuck family had governed the district of Trongsa as descendants of Dungkar Choji. They eventually ...

. Lhuentse town is the administrative capital of Lhuentse District, besides the Lhuentse Dzong. At present 100 monks reside here.

Architecture

The dzong contains five temples, three of which are in the central tower and are dedicated to

Padmasambhava Padmasambhava ('Born from a Lotus'), also known as Guru Rinpoche ('Precious Guru'), was a legendary tantric Buddhist Vajracharya, Vajra master from Oddiyana. who fully revealed the Vajrayana in Tibet, circa 8th – 9th centuries... He is consi ...

. The dzong also contains a Gonkhang, which is dedicated to

Mahākāla Mahākāla (, ) is a deity common to Hinduism and Buddhism. In Buddhism, Mahākāla is regarded as a '' Dharmapāla'' ("Protector of the Dharma") and a wrathful manifestation of a Buddha, while in Hinduism, Mahākāla is a fierce manifestatio ...

, and a temple dedicated to Amitāyus, the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

of Infinite Life. The ground floor also has a temple dedicated to

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (meaning "the lord who looks down", International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ), also known as Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World") and Chenrezig (in Tibetan), is a Bodhisattva#Bhūmis (stages), tenth-level bodhisattva associ ...

. The ''Kunre'', the assembly hall for the

monks A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

, is located on the upper floor. ;2009 earthquake damage The dzong has suffered serious damage during an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the

Richter magnitude scale The Richter scale (), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...

that hit eastern Bhutan on Monday, 21 September 2009. Many other monasteries in the region also suffered serious damage.

Other attractions

Khoma village, which is an hour walk from the main road to Lhuentse Dzong is famous for its intricate woven cloth made of silk called ''Kishuthara''. Other well known pilgrimage sites of Padmasambhava i Lhuentse Dzongkhag are

Singye Dzong Singye Dzong is a sacred site of Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava ('Born from a Lotus'), also known as Guru Rinpoche ('Precious Guru'), was a legendary tantric Buddhist Vajra master from Oddiyana. who fully revealed the Vajrayana in Tibet, circ ...

, the

beyul According to the beliefs of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Beyul () are hidden valleys often encompassing hundreds of square kilometers, which Padmasambhava blessed as refuges. Tertöns may reveal them from terma at specific and appro ...

Khenpajong () and Phunying Pass. Singye Dzong was founded by

Yeshe Tsogyal Yeshe Tsogyal (c. 757 or 777 – 817 CE), also known as "Victorious Ocean of Knowledge", "Knowledge Lake Empress" (, ཡེ་ཤེས་མཚོ་རྒྱལ), or by her Sanskrit name ''Jñānasāgarā'' "Knowledge Ocean", or by her clan na ...

and visited by Padmasambhava on his second visit to Bhutan, which is a three-day trek from Khoma.

Weaving

Weaving is a common handicraft practised in households here and the handlooms produced are very famous. This household industry is dominated by women folk who weave different types of textiles with intricate designs. The unique weaving activities involve embroidery, basket-making and ''kishuthara'' (brocade dress). Textile products of Lhuentse are stated to be the best in the country.

References

External links

coordinates of Lhunshi now known as Lhuentse
{{Authority control Dzongs in Bhutan Nyingma monasteries and temples 1543 establishments in Asia Religious buildings and structures completed in 1654 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and temples in Bhutan