At 1,200 meters (3,937 ft) above sea level, less than a five-minute walk from the parking area, Punakha Dzong rises where the Pho Chu and Mo Chu rivers meet—at 27°N and 89°E in the Eastern Himalayas. Known locally as Pumthang Dechen Phodrang—‘the palace of great happiness in a fertile plain blessed by the deity Dechen’—it embodies spiritual depth and regal heritage.

Built-in 1637 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the dzong has endured six fires and five devastating floods, yet it stands proud—Bhutan’s second-oldest and arguably most majestic dzong. It witnessed the coronation of Bhutan’s first king, Ugyen Wangchuck, on December 17, 1907, following Mr. John Claude White’s 1905 visit. It was here that Bhutan and British India signed the Treaty of Punakha on January 8, 1910.

In 1953, Bhutan’s first National Assembly convened inside these walls. Later, it hosted the royal wedding of the Fourth King in 1988, the coronation of the current king on November 1, 2008, his wedding in 2011, and the naming of Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck in 2016.

Masked dancers and monks bring sacred stories to life during the Punakha Tshechu (10th–12th day, 1st lunar month) and Domchoe (7th–9th day). Jacaranda trees bloom purple against whitewashed walls as butter lamps flicker in serene chapels.

Punakha Dzong is not only an architectural marvel but also a living chronicle of Bhutanese identity—a place where history, spirituality, and celebration converge under Himalayan skies.