Before heading to Punakha we will make a visit to following places: –
Buddha statue
(Made of Bronze glided in gold) it will be perhaps the eight wonder in the world, the seated bronze Buddha is 169-foot in height (51 meters) approximately.
Memorial Chorten
It’s a magnificent chorten built in a memory of the Third King of Bhutan, the father of modernization/modern Bhutan. It also serves as a place for religious practice for people of all ages. Here we will see mostly elderly citizens walking and talking to each other with prayers beats and prayer wheels in their hand.
Trashi Chhoe Dzong
‘fortress of glorious religion” constructed in 1641 and restored in 1960s. It’s the office of His Majesty the King and the secretariat, and houses two ministries and other offices. The coronation of the present King took place in this fortress in 2008. The Dzong is open for tourist only after 5:00 PM on working days and weekends it is open all day long.
Dochula Pass
It is located approximately 3,140m above sea level and it is a mountain pass to go to Punakha. It’s a breath-taking viewpoint where you can see panoramic view of Himalayan ranges that fall in Bhutan. There are also 108 Chortens (Stupas) built beautifully to mark the spot.
Chimi Lhakhang/ Temple of fertility
A 15th century temple believed to behold the blessings of fertility. The temple is founded by, the divine madman; popularly known as Drukpa Kuenly, a teacher, who the phallic symbol is associated. It’s a pleasing 20 minutes walk to the temple through terrace/field and village. While passing through the village we can also interact with the locals…