Punakha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Punakha (སྤུ་ན་ཁ་) is the administrative center of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu.
Contents |
[edit] Punakha Dzong
The Punakha Dzong was constructed by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1637-38. It is the winter home of Bhutan's Central Monk Body led by the Je Khenpo.
In 1907, Punakha Dzong was the site of the coronation of Ugyen Wangchuck (or Deb Nagpo) as the first King of Bhutan. Three years later, a treaty was signed at Punankha whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs.
In 1987, the dzong was partially destroyed by fire.
Due to its location at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers in the Punakha-Wangdue valley, the dzong is vulnerable to flash flooding caused by glacier lakes (GLOF). According to a recent report, flash flood damage to Punakha Dzong occurred in 1957, 1960 and 1994.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Chhopel, Karma (2006-03-15). "Flash Floods and Debris Flows due to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods" (ppt)., Conference web site (NOAA), Abstract (pdf) Proceedings of the International Workshop on Flash Flood Forecasting coordinated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service and the World Meteorological Organization, San José, Costa Rica, March 2006, Thimphu, Bhutan: Hydro-Met Services Division, Dept. of Energy, Ministry of Trade and Industry.
[edit] External links
- Photo gallery of Punakha Dzong (Nov 2005)
- Photos of Punakha Dzong
- Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal at the Dharma Dictionary
 |
This Bhutan location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
