RINPUNG DZONG

Consecrated in the 17th century, the Rinpung Dzong or "fortress of accumulated jewels", was built by the Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Even today, it is still the seat of the district and is home to a monastic community of nearly 200 monks. To get there, you have to cross the beautiful traditional shingle-covered bridge, the last one still standing in the country. Ravaged by a huge fire in 1907, the dzong was rebuilt with the help of all the inhabitants of the valley. Inside, the classic themes of Lamaist paintings cover the walls of the first courtyard, that of the administration: the long-lived old man, the protector and his chained tiger, the Wheel of Life, the four friends or the parable of collaboration. In the second courtyard, where the monks live, you can admire on the outside walls three remarkable cosmic mandalas that evoke the creation of the world. The first consists of a series of concentric and intersecting circles representing the different elements combined with the continents, all arranged around the centre of the world which is Mount Meru (or Mount Kailash in Tibet). The second also represents Mount Meru on another axis. The third describes another interpretation of cosmology: Mount Meru, the home of the gods. It is surrounded by seven rows of golden mountains and oceans. The continents all have a different shape, and that of mankind is to the south. In the monks' meeting room, Buddhas of the present, past and future cohabit.