Zhamgang Dzong

Where Lam Zhang built a monastery in 12th century the monastery was named "Zhangang" or immeasurable mound based on the name of the founder who visited Bhutan from Zhamling in Tibet in his mission to propagate Buddhism. "Zhemgang, then called as Khengrig Namsum in olden times derived its name from Zhangang, different pronunciation changed the name into Zhemgang," the researcher at the national library said. The monastery, which was later rebuilt as a dzong in the 17thcentury had a significant role in the evolution and shaping of the history of Khengrig Namsum. It has witnessed the major events of triumphs and blunders, withstood intrigues, a sacrilegious murder and cruel jolts of nature in the history of Zhemgang.

20. Zhemgang

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Starting in the 1990s, Assamese separtists maintained guerilla bases in the forests of southern Zhemgang from which they would launch attacks on targets in India and then return across the border. In late 2003 the King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck led a military operation which largely swept the guerillas out of the region. Because of the risk of attack, foreign tourists are not yet allowed to visit Zhemgang.

It is a three-storied Lhakhang, which was, constructed with, among others, financial contribution from His Majesty the King and His Holiness the 70th Je Khenpo, Trulku Jigme Choeda, who once headed the Zangtopelri. The lhakhang’s story begins in the early 1960s when Lam Yeshey Pema Thinley built a small monastry in Tali and established its first dratshang.
At that time it had student strength of only 30 monks. Other renowned Buddhist teachers such as Penlopkhen Rinpoche, who came to teach and bless the student in 1967, visited the monastry. Later a winter resident was added for the Tali dratshang in Gelephu.