Lingzhi Yügyal Dzong

Lingzhi Yügyal Dzong, is an important Drukpa Kagyu monastery and administrative center situated at an altitude of 4150 metres in Lingzhi, Thimphu District, Bhutan. There are about thirty monks headed by a Lama Neten (head of a district monastic body) resident in the Dzong. The office of the Drungpa (sub-district administrator) is also housed in the Dzong.

The Dzong was built in 1668 by the third Desi of Bhutan, Chögyal Minjur Tenpa (r. 1667-1680) to commemorate victory over a Tibetan invasion and named Yügyal Dzong. It controlled the border between Tibet and Bhutan and was one of the main defensive fortresses in the north of Bhutan.

The Dzong was partly damaged by an earthquake in 1867. In the 1950s the building was reconstructed and used as administrative centre. Renovation work on the Dzong began in 2005 and was still ongoing in 2010.

Text adapted from “Lingzhi Yügyal Dzong” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Lingzhi Yügyal Dzong ranks #6,567 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #13 of the 14 mapped in Bhutan. Founded c. 1674, it is older than 25% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 626 atlas entries founded in the 17th century. The nearest day-trip guide is Thimphu, 47 km away. See how Bhutan compares in the castle statistics.

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