Rinpung Dzong

Rinpung Dzong, sometimes referred to as Paro Dzong, is a large dzong - Buddhist monastery and fortress - of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school in Paro District, Bhutan. It houses the district Monastic Body as well as government administrative offices of Paro Dzongkhag. It is listed as a tentative site in Bhutan's Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion.

History
In the 15th century local people offered the crag of Hungrel at Paro to Lama Drung Drung Gyal, a descendant of Pajo Drugom Zhigpo. Drung Drung Gyal built a small temple there and later a five storied Dzong or fortress which was known as Hungrel Dzong.

In the 17th century, his descendants, the lords of Hungrel, offered this fortress to the Drukpa hierarch, Ngawang Namgyal, the Zhabdrung Rinpoche, in recognition of his religious and temporal authority. In 1644 the Zhabdrung dismantled the existing dzong and laid the foundations of a new dzong. In 1646 the dzong was reconsecrated and established as the administrative and monastic centre of the western region and it became known as "Rinpung Dzong". During the reign of the 23rd Penlop Dawa Penjor the Fortress caught fire (before the first king Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuck was enthroned) and all the important relics and statues were burnt, except for the Thongdrel (20x20 metre-wide). Paying homage to the Thongdrel it is believed that the faithful can attain Nirvana.

Some scenes in the 1993 film Little Buddha were filmed in this dzong. .According to the history of Paro Dzong, written by Drungchen Dasho Sangay Dorji, the rock face below the dzong was named 'Ringpung' by Guru Rinpoche in the eighth century, hence when the dzong was later built here, it came to be known as 'Ringpung Dzong'.

Shrines and chapels


Inside Rinpung Dzong are fourteen shrines and chapels:
 * 1) Kungarwa
 * 2) Monks' assembly hall
 * 3) Sandalwood Stupa
 * 4) Protector's shrine
 * 5) Temple of the Guru's Eight Manifistations (གུ་རུ་མཚན་རྒྱད་ལྷ་ཁང)
 * 6) Chapel of the head lama
 * 7) Chapel of Amitayus
 * 8) The Clear Crystal Shrine
 * 9) Chapel of the Eleven-faced Avalokiteśvara
 * 10) Apartments of the Abbot
 * 11) Chapel of Akshobhya
 * 12) Temple of the Treasure Revealer
 * 13) Apartments of the King (Gyalpo'i Zimchung)
 * 14) Temple of the Bursar

Outside the main dzong is the Deyangkha Temple.

On the hill above Rinpung Dzong is a seven-storied the watchtower fortress or Ta Dzong built in 1649. In 1968 this was established as the home of the National Museum of Bhutan.

Just below Rinpung Dzong is a traditional covered cantilever bridge.

Festival
A great annual festival or tshechu is held at Rinpung Dzong from the eleventh to the fifteenth day of the second month of the traditional Bhutanese lunar calendar (usually in March or April of the Gregorian calendar). On this occasion, holy images are taken in a procession. This is followed by a series of traditional mask dances conveying religious stories which are performed by monks for several days.

Before the break of dawn on the morning of the fifteenth day, a great sacred thongdrel banner thangka depicting the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava, (Guru Pema Jungney, Guru Nima Yoezer, Guru singye dradrong, Guru tshoki Dorji, Guru shacha singye, Guru pema gyelpo, Guru dorji dolo, and Guru lodan Chokse) is displayed for the public in the early morning hours, to keep to the tradition of not allowing sunlight to fall on it. The ground on which the monks perform the mask dance is called Deyangkha.