Wangdue Phodrang
Encyclopedia
Wangdue Phodrang District (Dzongkha
: དབང་འདུས་ཕོ་བྲང་རྫོང་ཁག་; Wylie
: Dbang-'dus Pho-brang rdzong-khag; previously spelled "Wangdi Phodrang") is a dzongkhag
(district) of central Bhutan
. This is also the name of the dzong (built in 1638) which dominates the district, and the name of the small market town outside the gates of the dzong. The name is said to have been given by the Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal who was searching for the best location for a dzong to prevent incursions from the south. The word "wangdue" means unification of Country, and "Phodrang" means Palace in Dzongkha.
Wangdue Phodrang is bordered by Dagana
and Tsirang
dzongkhags to the south, Tongsa dzongkhag to the east, Thimphu
and Punakha
dzongkhag to the west, and Gasa
dzongkhag and a small section of border with Tibet
to the north.
The dominant language in Wangdue Phodrang is Dzongkha, the national language, spoken in the western two-thirds of the district. Communities along the border with Bumthang District
in the northeast speak Lakha
. Along the same border, in central Wangdue Phodrang, inhabitants speak Nyenkha
. In southeast Wangdue Phodrang, remnants of the autochthonous 'Olekha (Black Mountain Monpa)
speaking community barely survive.
enters from the west at Dochu La Pass, crosses the Sankosh (Puna Tsang Chhu) at Wangdue Phodrang dzong, and continues east to Tongsa. One spur road heads north from Wangdue Phodrang to the dzong at Punakha
and slightly beyond. This road eventually becomes the trail to Gasa
. A second spur departs the Lateral Road near the Pele La pass halfway between Wangdue and Tongsa, traveling south a short distance to Gangteng Monastery
and the Phobjika valley
where the rare black-necked crane
s (grus nigricollis) may be found.
s:
, Dangchu
, Sephu Gewog
s) falls within Wangchuck Centennial Park
, with northwestern pockets (Kazhi Gewog
) belonging to Jigme Dorji National Park
. Southeastern Wangdue (Athang
, Phobji Gewog
s) is part of Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park
. Also protected are the biological corridors crisscrossing the district that connect Bhutan's extensive national park system.
The environmentally precious and vulnerable lands of Phobjika Valley
are not protected by the government, but are maintained by the first and only Bhutanese private conservation group, the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature
(RSPN). Chartered as a public benefit nonprofit organization (PBO), the RSPN focuses on education, sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, and improving living standards in ecologically responsible ways.
Dzongkha language
Dzongkha , occasionally Ngalopkha, is the national language of Bhutan. The word "dzongkha" means the language spoken in the dzong, – dzong being the fortress-like monasteries established throughout Bhutan by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century."Bhutani" is not another name for...
: དབང་འདུས་ཕོ་བྲང་རྫོང་ཁག་; Wylie
Wylie transliteration
The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article, A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription, published in 1959...
: Dbang-'dus Pho-brang rdzong-khag; previously spelled "Wangdi Phodrang") is a dzongkhag
Dzongkhag
A dzongkhag is an administrative and judicial district of Bhutan. The twenty dzongkhags of Bhutan are further divided into 205 gewogs. Some larger dzongkhags have one or more of an intermediate judicial division, known as dungkhags , which themselves comprise two or more gewogs...
(district) of central Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. This is also the name of the dzong (built in 1638) which dominates the district, and the name of the small market town outside the gates of the dzong. The name is said to have been given by the Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal who was searching for the best location for a dzong to prevent incursions from the south. The word "wangdue" means unification of Country, and "Phodrang" means Palace in Dzongkha.
Wangdue Phodrang is bordered by Dagana
Dagana District
Dagana District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan...
and Tsirang
Tsirang District
Tsirang District , is one of the 20 dzongkhags of Bhutan. The administrative center of the district is Damphu...
dzongkhags to the south, Tongsa dzongkhag to the east, Thimphu
Thimphu
Thimphu also spelt Thimpu, is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The city became the capital of Bhutan in 1961...
and Punakha
Punakha
thumb|right|Punakha Dzong and the [[Mo Chhu]]Punakha is the administrative centre of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu. It is about 72 km away from Thimphu and it...
dzongkhag to the west, and Gasa
Gasa District
Gasa District or Gasa Dzongkhag is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. Its capital is Gasa Dzong near Gasa. It is located in the far north of the county and spans the Middle and High Himalayas. The dominant language of the district is Dzongkha, the national language...
dzongkhag and a small section of border with Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
to the north.
Languages
Bumthang District
Bumthang District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan. It is the most historic dzongkhag if the number of ancient temples and sacred sites is counted...
in the northeast speak Lakha
Lakha
Lakha is a Southern Tibetan language spoken by about 8,000 people in Wangdue Phodrang and Trongsa Districts in central Bhutan. Lakha is spoken by descendants of pastoral yakherd communities....
. Along the same border, in central Wangdue Phodrang, inhabitants speak Nyenkha
Nyenkha
Nyenkha is an East Bodish language spoken by about 10,000 people in the eastern, northern, and western areas of the Black Mountains...
. In southeast Wangdue Phodrang, remnants of the autochthonous 'Olekha (Black Mountain Monpa)
'Olekha
Olekha, also called the Black Mountain Monpa language, is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by about 1,000 people in the Black Mountains of the Wangdue Phodrang and Trongsa Districts in western Bhutan. The term 'Ole refers to a clan of speakers....
speaking community barely survive.
Transport
There are three paved roads in Wangdue Phodrang dzongkhag. The Lateral RoadLateral Road
Bhutan's Lateral Road is its primary east-west corridor, connecting Phuentsholing in the southwest to Trashigang in the east. In between, the Lateral Road runs directly through Wangdue Phodrang, Trongsa, and other population centers...
enters from the west at Dochu La Pass, crosses the Sankosh (Puna Tsang Chhu) at Wangdue Phodrang dzong, and continues east to Tongsa. One spur road heads north from Wangdue Phodrang to the dzong at Punakha
Punakha
thumb|right|Punakha Dzong and the [[Mo Chhu]]Punakha is the administrative centre of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu. It is about 72 km away from Thimphu and it...
and slightly beyond. This road eventually becomes the trail to Gasa
Gasa District
Gasa District or Gasa Dzongkhag is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. Its capital is Gasa Dzong near Gasa. It is located in the far north of the county and spans the Middle and High Himalayas. The dominant language of the district is Dzongkha, the national language...
. A second spur departs the Lateral Road near the Pele La pass halfway between Wangdue and Tongsa, traveling south a short distance to Gangteng Monastery
Gangteng Gonpa
The Gangteng Monastery The Gangteng Monastery The Gangteng Monastery (Dzongkha: sometimes written "Gangtey Gonpa", is an important monastery of Nyingmapa school of Buddhism, the main seat of the Pema Lingpa tradition. located in the Wangdue Phodrang District in central Bhutan...
and the Phobjika valley
Phobjika Valley
The Phobjika Valley is a vast U-shaped glacial valley, also known as Gangteng Valley named after the impressive Gangteng Monastery of the Nyingma sect in central Bhutan, where the graceful Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan from the Tibetan Plateau visit the valley during the winter season to roost...
where the rare black-necked crane
Black-necked Crane
The Black-necked Crane is a medium-sized crane that is found on the Tibetan Plateau of Asia. It is 139 cm long with a 235 cm wingspan, and it weighs 5.5 kg . It is whitish-gray, with a black head, red crown patch, black upper neck and legs, and white patch to the rear of the eye...
s (grus nigricollis) may be found.
Geography
Wangdue Phodrang is divided into 15 gewogGewog
A gewog, or geog refers to a group of villages in Bhutan. Gewogs form a geographic administrative unit below dzongkhag districts , and above thromde municipalities. Bhutan comprises 205 gewogs, which average 230 km² in area...
s:
- Athang GewogAthang GewogAthang Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Bjena GewogBjena GewogBjendag Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Daga GewogDaga GewogDarkar Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan. It used to be known as Daga....
- Dangchu GewogDangchu GewogDangchu Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Gangte GewogGangte GewogGangteng Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan. It was previously known as Gangte....
- Gasetsho Gom GewogGasetsho Gom GewogGasetsho Gom Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Gasetsho Om GewogGasetsho Om GewogGasetsho Wom Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Kazhi GewogKazhi GewogKazhi Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Nahi GewogNahi GewogNahi Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Nyisho GewogNyisho GewogNyisho Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Phangyuel GewogPhangyuel GewogPhangyul Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Phobji GewogPhobji GewogPhobji Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Ruepisa GewogRuepisa GewogRuepisa Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Sephu GewogSephu GewogSephu Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
- Thedtsho GewogThedtsho GewogThedtsho Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
Environment
Most of Wangdue Phodrang is environmentally protected. The northern half of the district (KazhiKazhi Gewog
Kazhi Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
, Dangchu
Dangchu Gewog
Dangchu Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
, Sephu Gewog
Sephu Gewog
Sephu Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
s) falls within Wangchuck Centennial Park
Wangchuck Centennial Park
Wangchuck Centennial Park in northern Bhutan is the kingdom's largest national park, spanning over five districts, occupying significant portions of northern Bumthang, Lhuntse, and Wangdue Phodrang Districts. It borders Tibet to the north and is bound by tributaries of the Wong Chhu basin to the...
, with northwestern pockets (Kazhi Gewog
Kazhi Gewog
Kazhi Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
) belonging to Jigme Dorji National Park
Jigme Dorji National Park
The Jigme Dorji National Park, named after the late Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, is the second-largest National Park of Bhutan. It occupies almost the entire Gasa District, as well as the northern areas of Thimphu District, Paro District, Punakha, and Wangdue Phodrang Districts...
. Southeastern Wangdue (Athang
Athang Gewog
Athang Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
, Phobji Gewog
Phobji Gewog
Phobji Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
s) is part of Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park
Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park
Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park covers an area of in central Bhutan. The Park occupies most of Trongsa District, as well as parts of Sarpang, Tsirang, Wangdue Phodrang, and Zhemgang Districts. Jigme Singye abuts Royal Manas National Park to the southeast...
. Also protected are the biological corridors crisscrossing the district that connect Bhutan's extensive national park system.
The environmentally precious and vulnerable lands of Phobjika Valley
Phobjika Valley
The Phobjika Valley is a vast U-shaped glacial valley, also known as Gangteng Valley named after the impressive Gangteng Monastery of the Nyingma sect in central Bhutan, where the graceful Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan from the Tibetan Plateau visit the valley during the winter season to roost...
are not protected by the government, but are maintained by the first and only Bhutanese private conservation group, the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature
Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Bhutan
The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature is Bhutan's first and only private nonprofit organization with nation-wide operations...
(RSPN). Chartered as a public benefit nonprofit organization (PBO), the RSPN focuses on education, sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, and improving living standards in ecologically responsible ways.