Photos of Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, Bhutan

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Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital

Thimphu is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is located in the western central part of the country, in the valley on the west bank of the Thimphu Chhu River. It has an average altitude of 2,300 metres and a population of almost 115,000 people. Thimphu has been Bhutan’s capital since 1955; in 1961, the third king of Bhutan, the Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, declared it officially Bhutan’s capital, taking over from Punakha.

Thimphu from Phuntsho Khangsar Hotel
 
Thimphu from Phuntsho Khangsar Hotel
 
Buddha Dordenma statue
 
Gate, Buddha Dordenma statue, Thimphu
 
Chorten at Buddha Dordenma statue, Thimphu
 
Buddha Dordenma statue, Thimphu
 
View of Thimphu
 
View of Thimphu
 
Buddha Dordenma statue, Thimphu
 
View of Thimphu
 
National Memorial Chhorten
 
Prayer wheels, National Memorial Chhorten
 
National Memorial Chhorten
 
View of Thimphu
 
Main street of Thimphu
 
National Handicraft Emporium, Thimphu
 
In Simply Bhutan
 
Carved masks, Simply Bhutan
 
Carved masks, Simply Bhutan
 
Carved masks, Simply Bhutan
 
Phallic symbols, Simply Bhutan
 
Traditional Bhutanese house, Simply Bhutan
 
Wooden masks, Zorig Chusum Institute
 
Weaving, Zorig Chusum Institute
 
Paintings for sale, Zorig Chusum Institute
 
Jungshi handmade paper factory
 
Handicraft market, Thimphu
 
Handicraft market, Thimphu
 
Norzin Lam, Thimphu
 
Town square wih clock tower, Thimphu
 
National Library of Bhutan
 
Takins, Royal Takin Preserve
 
Thimphu from Sangaygang – Phajoding Trail
 
View to Druk Wangditse Lhakhang
 
Druk Wangditse Lhakhang
 
Druk Wangditse Lhakhang
 
Thimphu from Druk Wangditse Lhakhang
 
View to Tashichho Dzong
 
View to Tashichho Dzong
 
Tashichho Dzong
 
National Assembly of Bhutan
 
Tashichho Dzong entrance
 
Assembly Hall, Tashichho Dzong
 
Inner courtyard, Tashichho Dzong
 
Monks, Tashichho Dzong
 
Boy, Tashichho Dzong
 
Assembly Hall fresco, Tashichho Dzong
 
Assembly Hall, Tashichho Dzong
 

Originally, it was a hamlet around Tashichhoe Dzong (“Fortress of the Glorious Religion”), Thimphu’s sizeable Buddhist monastery and fortress. Thimphu Dzong, now on the northern edge of the city, was initially built in 1216, four times destroyed by fire and damaged by an earthquake, but rebuilt in 1962 as the seat of Government after the capital was moved from Punakha to Thimphu. It also houses the office of the King of Bhutan and the summer residence of the leader of Bhutanese Buddhism. Just to the east of the Dzong is Bhutan’s National Assembly.

Thimpu is an attractive town, with its traditional architecture, old Lhakangs (temples) on the slopes of the valley, and new structures, like the National Memorial Chorten, built in memory of the Third Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who ruled from 1952 to 1972. Overlooking Thimphu is the Buddha Dordenma, a gigantic statue housing over one hundred thousand smaller Buddha statues, each of which, like the Buddha Dordenma itself, is made of bronze and gilded in gold.

A living museum, Simply Bhutan, showcases Bhutanese culture, and the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, meaning “Thirteen Crafts,” teaches students traditional crafts. The National Library of Bhutan was established in 1967 to “preserve and promote the rich cultural and religious heritage” of the country. These are only some examples of how Bhutan, while modernising, preserves its unique culture.