A small town in Trashigang District, eastern Bhutan, at approximately 1,930 metres elevation, home to Sherubtse College — the country's oldest institution of higher education.
Kanglung is a town in Trashigang District, eastern Bhutan, situated at approximately 1,930 metres above sea level on a hillside about 25 kilometres and a two-hour drive from Trashigang town. It is principally known as the site of Sherubtse College, Bhutan's oldest institution of higher education and the first to offer degree-level programmes. At the 2005 census, the town's population was recorded at 1,717, though the number fluctuates with the academic calendar as students and staff move in and out.
History and Development
Kanglung was selected in the late 1960s as the location for a major public school as part of the Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck's modernisation programme. The king laid the foundation stone for Sherubtse School in June 1966, and the school opened in 1968 with Father William Mackey, a Canadian Jesuit educator who spent decades in Bhutan, serving as its founding principal. The name "Sherubtse" (ཤེས་རབ་རྩེ) means "peak of knowledge" in Dzongkha.
In 1976, the school was upgraded to a junior college offering pre-university courses in science. Arts and commerce streams were added in 1978. In July 1983, Sherubtse College became an affiliated college of the University of Delhi, enabling it to award Indian-recognised degrees — a significant step for a country that had no university of its own at the time. In June 2003, Sherubtse was merged with nine other higher education institutes to form the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), and it became a constituent college of RUB. It offers undergraduate programmes in arts, sciences, commerce, and computer science.
During the same period, Kanglung was chosen as the site of one of eastern Bhutan's first agricultural research stations. Under the second Five-Year Plan (1967–1971), a research farm was established at Kanglung to develop improved farming techniques suited to the eastern regions, complementing similar stations in western and central Bhutan.
Geography and Economy
The town sits on a hillside with views across the valleys of eastern Bhutan. The surrounding area is terraced for rice, maize, and vegetable cultivation. Residents depend on farming and livestock alongside the economic activity generated by the college. A small commercial centre near the campus has shops, restaurants, and basic services. Kanglung is connected to the national road network via the lateral road, with Trashigang town — the district headquarters — about two hours to the east and Mongar several hours to the west.
The Eastern Agricultural Marketing Cooperative (EAMC) links farmers in Kanglung and neighbouring gewogs — including Lumang, Shongphu, and Bidung — to markets, helping channel local produce to buyers in Trashigang and beyond.
Sherubtse College Today
The campus occupies a scenic hillside setting with views of subtropical valleys below and temperate forest above. It remains the pre-eminent higher education institution in eastern Bhutan and a significant contributor to the country's intellectual life. Many of Bhutan's senior civil servants, educators, and professionals are Sherubtse alumni. The college houses a library, laboratories, student hostels, and a small auditorium. Annual events include a literary festival and inter-college sports competitions.
See Also
References
See also
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