| Tashichho Dzong | |
|---|---|
 View of Tashichho Dzong | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Tibetan Buddhism |
| Location | |
| Country | Bhutan |
| Geographic coordinates | 27°29′23″N 89°38′6″E / 27.48972°N 89.63500°E |
Tashichho Dzong (Dzongkha: བཀྲ་ཤིས་ཆོས་རྫོང) is a Buddhist monastery and fortress on the northern edge of the city of Thimphu in Bhutan, on the western bank of the Wang Chu. It has traditionally been the seat of the Druk Desi (or "Deb Raja"), the head of Bhutan's civil government, an office which has been combined with the kingship since the creation of the monarchy in 1907, and summer capital of the country.[1] In old British documents, it is known as Tassisudon.
According to a 1922 traveller:
It was built by the first Dharma Raja, who also founded the Lho-drukpa sect of Buddhism, which has remained the distinctive sect of Bhutan. The correct transliteration of the vernacular name—Bkrashis-chhos-rdzong, meaning "the fortress of auspicious doctrine"—is, according to Graham Sandberg, Tashichhoidzong.[2]
The main structure of the whitewashed building is two-storied with three-storied towers at each of the four corners topped by triple-tiered golden roofs. There is also a large central tower or utse.
- ^ Earl of Ronaldshay (1923). Lands of the Thunderbolt: Sikhim, Chumbi & Bhutan, p. 242. Reprinted: 1987. Snow Lion Graphics. Berkeley, California. ISBN 0-9617066-7-8; ISBN 0-9617066-6-X (pbk).
- ^ Earl of Ronaldshay (1923). Lands of the Thunderbolt: Sikhim, Chumbi & Bhutan, p. 243. Reprinted: 1987. Snow Lion Graphics. Berkeley, California. ISBN 0-9617066-7-8; ISBN 0-9617066-6-X (pbk).