Punakha Tsechu Editorial Image

And tomorrow we will fill the tub with the powerful magical rice-wine ! The Pazaps(traditional militia force) perform the Maachham, resonating war songs and sounds of explosions from the third day. Firecrackers are thrown into the courtyard of the dzong to recreate the noise of battle. Today the Pazaps will perform the Lengmag dance in the presence of His Holiness the Je Khenpo in the Dzong courtyard. The Punakha Dzong was known in ancient times as the Druk Pungthang Dechhen Phrodang or “the palace of great happiness”. It is the second dzong to be built in Bhutan and was the seat of government when Punakha was the capital of Bhutan. Today, the dzong is the winter home for the clergy. The dzong’s central tower, the utse, is six storeys high. The history of Punakha Dzong is characterised by damage from numerous fires, floods and earthquakes. Major renovations took place after the glacial floods of 1994 which damaged parts of the exterior of the dzong. An impressive prayer hall has also been built after the latest fires in 1986