Trashigang (), or Tashigang, meaning "fortress of auspicious mount," is a town 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 , ...

and the district capital of the Trashigang Dzongkhag (district). The town lies to the east side of the valley above the Drangme Chhu river just south of where it is joined by the Gamri River. Trashigang is the eastern terminus of the Lateral Road, Bhutan's main highway leading to Phuntsholing in the southwest.

History

Trashigang Dzong was built in 1659 by Trongsa Penlop Minjur Tenpa and served for centuries as an administrative headquarters and monastery, though government offices mostly relocated by 2011. Its sinking eastern foundation and crumbling upper walls necessitated either relocation or total destruction and reconstruction. In October 2011,

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 ...

, under renovation since 2007, was on the verge of collapse. However, , the Trashigang Dzong was still used for the town's yearly religious festival called tsechu.

Administrative

Trashigang is the largest district in Bhutan and serves as the administrative seat for the Dzongkhag and a home for the monk body. It has three sub-districts and fifteen gewogs, which include Bartsham, Bidung, Kanglung, Kangpara, Khaling, Lumang, Merak, Phongmey, Radhi, Sakteng, Samkhar, Shongphu, Thrimshing, Udzorong, and Yangneer. Sherubtse College was the first accredited college in Bhutan, founded in 1966 by a group of Jesuits under the leadership of William Mackey. As of 2003, it became part of the newly created Royal University of Bhutan system that comprises all public post-secondary schools in Bhutan. Rangjung, Kanglung and Wamrong are some of the major towns under Trashigang district.

Demography

The population of Trashigang town was 3,037 (1,565 males and 1,472 females) according to the 2017 Population and Housing Census of Bhutan.

Transport

Trashigang is served by Yonphula Airport which is around an hour drive from the town. It is connected by Simtokha Trashigang Primary National highway to capital city. Thimphu and Trashigang Samdrup Jongkhar Highway to Samdrup Jongkhar, border town in south eastern Bhutan.

Climate

Trashigang features a dry-winter

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring c ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cwb'').

Gallery

File:Tashigang Dzong 111120.jpg , Trashigang Dzong (2011) File:Trashigang upper market-Bhutan-2008-01-02.jpg, Town center, Trashigang, Bhutan (2008) File:Tashigang District Court.jpg, District court, Trashigang, Bhutan File:Trashigang Dzong-a-2008-01-02.jpg, Trashigang

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 ...

(2008) File:Tashigang Chazam.jpg, Trashigang Chagzam bridge

Notable people

* Kinzang Lhamo, marathon and ultramarathon runner who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics

References

External links

*
Trashigang and Dzong, Bhutan - Photo Gallery , The India Info
Populated places in Bhutan {{Bhutan-geo-stub