Mongar Dzong

The holy Mongar Dzong is one of the newest entries in the list of dzongs in Bhutan. Though new, the fortress manages to resonate the uniqueness of being a Bhutanese dzong in its own ways. The fact that Mongar Dzong never had any written paper plans and was built without even striking a single piece of nail during its construction, makes it quite an interesting piece of architecture.

Built in 1930, Mongar Dzong sits on a gentle slope above the Mongar town. According to the legends, Bhutanese king named Karpo Dung once called in an architect from Paro region to construct a dzong around the valley. Upon inspecting the entire Mongar region, the architect found a bowl-shaped stone that was white in colour, and named it Zhongkar (‘white bowl’ in Bhutanese language). Following this, the Zhongkar Dzong was built in the site.

However, as the Zhongkar Dzong later got ruined due to a fire breakout and an earthquake that lasted for 7 days, it got replaced by the Mongar Dzong, which was built in the same way as of the previous dzong. Today, a visit to Mongar Dzong would offer you a livelier glimpse of how spirituality prevails around every corner of Bhutan. And in case, you are planning for a visit in the month of November, you could be a part of the week-long ‘Mongar Tsechu’ festival hosted around the Mongar Dzong.