Trashigang

Trashigang (Dzongkha: བཀྲ་ཤིས་སྒང་, "The Jewel Fortress" or "The Auspicious Hill") refers to both a district (dzongkhag) and its capital town in eastern Bhutan. It is the largest district in the country by area, the most populous in the eastern region, and serves as the principal administrative and commercial centre of eastern Bhutan. The name derives from the Trashigang Dzong, a fortress-monastery built in 1659 on a dramatic spur overlooking the confluence of the Drangme Chhu and Gamri Chhu rivers.^[1]

Trashigang occupies a strategically important position in Bhutan's far east, bordering the districts of Mongar to the west, Trashi Yangtse to the north, and Samdrup Jongkhar to the south, with the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh to the east. The district is characterised by deep river valleys, terraced hillsides, and a rich tapestry of ethnic communities, including the semi-nomadic Brokpa people of Merak and Sakteng.^[2]

Trashigang Dzong

The Trashigang Dzong was constructed in 1659 on the orders of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, who prophesied its construction. The task was carried out by Trongsa Penlop Chogyal Minjur Tempa, the third Druk Desi, to consolidate central authority over the eastern regions and defend against Tibetan incursions. Perched atop a steep ridge with cliffs falling away on three sides, the dzong commands panoramic views of the surrounding valleys. Gyalsey Tenzin Rabgye expanded the dzong and added a Goenkhang (protector chapel) between 1680 and 1694. The fortress has served as both a monastic seat and the administrative headquarters of the district for over three and a half centuries. Full restoration works were completed in 2019.^[3]

Trashigang Town

Trashigang town is the district capital and the commercial hub of eastern Bhutan. Situated on a hillside below the dzong, the town is the largest settlement in the eastern region and serves as the gateway for travellers heading further east to Trashi Yangtse or south to Samdrup Jongkhar. The town features a lively market, government offices, schools, and a hospital, functioning as the primary service centre for the surrounding gewogs and neighbouring districts.^[4]

District Overview

The Trashigang district covers an area of approximately 3,067 square kilometres, making it the largest of Bhutan's twenty dzongkhags. According to the 2017 Population and Housing Census of Bhutan, the district had a population of 45,518 persons. It is divided into 15 gewogs: Bartsham, Bidung, Kanglung, Kangpara, Khaling, Lumang, Merak, Phongmey, Radhi, Sakteng, Samkhar, Shongphu, Thrimshing, Udzorong, and Yangneer.^[5]

Geography and Rivers

The district's landscape is dominated by the Drangme Chhu river system, the largest of Bhutan's four major river basins. The Drangme Chhu and its tributaries, including the Gamri Chhu and the Kuri Chhu, carve deep valleys through the district, creating a terrain of steep hillsides and narrow gorges. Elevations range from around 600 metres in the southern river valleys to over 4,000 metres in the highlands of Merak and Sakteng. This dramatic altitudinal variation supports diverse ecosystems, from subtropical broadleaf forests at lower elevations to alpine meadows and rhododendron forests in the highlands.^[6]

Sherubtse College

Located in Kanglung gewog, approximately 27 kilometres from Trashigang town, Sherubtse College is Bhutan's oldest institution of higher education. Founded in 1966 by the Canadian Jesuit educator Father William Mackey, it began as a public school, became a junior college in 1976, and was incorporated into the Royal University of Bhutan in 2003. Sherubtse is a multidisciplinary institution offering undergraduate programmes in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. It remains the only degree-granting college in eastern Bhutan and has played a formative role in educating generations of Bhutanese leaders and professionals.^[7]

Notable Communities

Rangjung

Rangjung is a growing commercial town approximately 30 minutes' drive east of Trashigang town, serving as a trading centre for five surrounding gewogs. It is home to the Rangjung Woesel Choeling Monastery, founded in 1989 by Dungsey Garab Dorje Rinpoche, a significant Nyingma Buddhist monastic and educational institution overlooking the Gamri River valley.

Radhi

The gewog of Radhi is renowned throughout Bhutan for two things: its terraced rice paddies, which supply much of eastern Bhutan's grain and have earned it the title "Rice Bowl of the East," and the skill of its weavers. Radhi is the traditional centre of bura (raw silk) textile production; virtually all of the gewog's approximately 200 households weave bura cloth on traditional back-strap looms during the agricultural off-season, producing ghos and kiras of exceptional quality.

Merak and Sakteng

The highland gewogs of Merak and Sakteng, situated at elevations above 3,000 metres near the border with Arunachal Pradesh, are the homeland of the Brokpa people. Numbering approximately 5,000, the Brokpa are semi-nomadic yak herders who maintain a distinctive dialect, dress, and spiritual tradition. Their villages lie within the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, one of Bhutan's most biodiverse protected areas. The Brokpa trace their origins to the Tshoona region of Tibet and hold an annual festival honouring Jomo Kuengkhar, a mountain goddess.^[8]

See Also

• Trashigang Town
• Trashigang District
• Trashigang Dzong
• Sherubtse College
• Brokpa
• Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary

References

1. "Trashigang District." Wikipedia.
2. "Brief History of Trashigang Dzong." Trashigang Dzongkhag Administration.
3. "Trashigang Dzong." Wikipedia.
4. "Trashigang: Eastern Town of Bhutan." MashaHur.
5. "Bhutan Population and Housing Census 2017." Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation / National Statistics Bureau of Bhutan.
6. "Manas River (Drangme Chhu)." Wikipedia.
7. "Sherubtse College." Wikipedia.
8. "Meet the Brokpa People of Merak and Sakteng." Omsha Travel.