Zhongar Dzong is a large medieval ruin overlooking the valley between Lingmethang Town and Thidangbi Village in the

Mongar District Mongar District (Dzongkha: མོང་སྒར་རྫོང་ཁག་; Wylie transliteration, Wylie: ''Mong-sgar rdzong-khag'') is one of the 20 dzongkhags (districts) comprising Bhutan. Mongar is the fastest-developing dzongkhag in easter ...

of 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 , ...

. Constructed in the 17th century from white stone mined from the nearby Kuri Chhu river, it once stretched over 4 acres of land and was one of the largest fortresses in the country. Because of its size and construction material, the

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 ...

came to be known as Zhongkar ''"white bowl"'' (''zhong''-bowl, ''kar''-white). In the late 18th century, the dzong was damaged by a disastrous fire, and then further destroyed by a large earthquake.

References

Dzongs in Bhutan Buildings and structures in Bhutan 17th-century establishments in Bhutan {{Bhutan-geo-stub