Motithang is a north-western suburb of
Thimphu
Thimphu (; ) is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan, and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's '' dzongkhags'', the Thimphu District. The ancient capital city of Punakha was replac ...
,
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 , ...
. The
Chubachu River divides the district from
Kawajangsa further north and
Chubachu district lies to the east.
Meaning "the meadow of pearls", the area only developed as a residential area in the 1980s, following the initial establishment of the
Motithang Hotel in 1974, on the occasion of the coronation of
Jigme Singye Wangchuck
Jigme Singye Wangchuck (, ; born 11 November 1955) is the fourth Druk Gyalpo ( Dragon King) of Bhutan, reigning from 1972 to 2006. He is the father of the present King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck. He is the only son of five ch ...
.
At the time, the hotel was located in the middle of forest, separated from the city by farmland but today this area has grown up with houses and gardens.
Aside from the Motithang Hotel, the district contains several notable state guest houses such as the
Kungacholing and
Lhundupling, Rapten Apartments and the
Amankora Thimphu.
It also contains the National Commission for Cultural Affairs, a
UNICEF
UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
station and several grocery stores, including the Lhatshog supermarket.
Schools include
Motithang Higher Secondary School and Jigme Namgyal School.
There is also a notable
takin
The takin (''Budorcas taxicolor''; ), also called cattle chamois or gnu goat, is a large species of ungulate of the subfamily Caprinae found in the eastern Himalayas. It includes four subspecies: the Mishmi takin (''B. t. taxicolor''), the golde ...
wildlife sanctuary in the district, named
Motithang Takin Preserve.
References
{{Bhutan-geo-stub
Thimphu