Tashi Yangtse Dzong

The Manma (old Dzong)

Accessible by road and only 4km away from the main town stands the Dzong of Trashi Yangtse. The Dzong has two names, Dongdi Dzong and Trashiyangtse Dzong; it also has a pseudonym, namely Dzong Manma (old Dzong). The Dzong used to be called Dongdi Dzong because Dongdi Chu flows to its right from Dongla direction.

Later the Dzong came to be known as Trashi Yangtse Dzong, which is popularly its present name. Some believe that it was Gongkar Gyalpo, son of Lhasey Tshangma who built the Dzong but the Tibetan invasion made the people of Donglum flee and the Dzong fell into ruins. It was Tertoen Pema Lingpa who built the Dzong in the 14th century and named it as Trashi Yangtse Dzong. (Trashi was so named as Trashigang was its nearest neighboring place. Yang: sufficient space, tse: top).

It is also believed that Yangtse was one of the six Dzongs constructed by the 3rd Desi, Chhogyal Minjur Tmnpa.

The Dzong has 3 stories, ground floor, middle floor and top floor. More than half of the top floor is Chuchizhey Lhakhang. The ground floors were used as stores, then offices and at the present monks reside there. During the Dungkhag administration the first floor was used as offices and now monks and teachers reside there. On the second floor, there is Chuchizhey Lhakhang, Goenkhang and Torzheng room, where the monks make Torma during rituals and ceremonies.

Trashiyangtse Dzong was renovated, sanctified with the sacred rabney (consecration) ceremony on 23 and 24 March 2005. Besides renovating the Dzong a new Kunrey, (the main hall for religious activities) adorned with Kuten and Sungten (sacred images and scriptures), a Neypoi phodrang (shrine for local deity), two shabkors (monks living quarters) with 12 rooms each, a courtyard, pavement, drainage system and approach road were constructed at the cost of about Nu. 10 million, funded by the government. The construction work began in 2001.

Every year on the 15th and 16th of the 8th month of the Bhutanese calendar Dongdi Tshechu used to be performed.