Rinchen Pung Dzong or Rinpung Dzong Paro literally means ‘Fortress on a Heap of Jewels’. In 1644 Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal(Bhutan unifier) ordered the construction of the dzong on the foundation laid by Guru Rinpoche. The fortress in Bhutan has mainly been used for defending the place or the valley from invasions by Tibet.
The British political officer John Claude White visited several times in Bhutan when India was ruled under the British. He reported that in 1905 there were old catapults found in the dzongs veranda for throwing stones against invaders. The dzong survived during the 1897 earthquake. It was severely damaged by fire in 1907. The Dzong was repaired in 1908/9 to its original state with the addition of statues of Guru Rinpoche, Buddha and the Zhabdrung installed inside the Dzong.
The most precious object of the Dzong, the Thongdroel, a 20×20 meter wide Thangka, was saved from the fire and is displayed in spring to the public during the Tshechu.
The Rinpung Paro Dzong is built on a steep hillside facing towards Ugen Perli Palace and the Paro Riverside. It is a 5-6 Km car drive very near to the National Museum of Bhutan. It is better to the car to Paro Museum first and visit Paro Dzong. After Paro Dzong visit just walk or take a car drive below the Paro Museum.
The road to the National Museum branches down to the dzong’s northeastern entrance, which leads into the “Dochey” (courtyard). The “Utse” (central tower) inside the dochey is five stories tall and was built at the time of the first governor of Paro in 1649. The richly carved wood, painted in gold, black, and ochres, and the towering whitewashed walls reinforce the sense of established power and wealth.
Rinpung Dzong Paro is the administrative office for the district. It includes the administration and Monk body of the Paro district. It also contains around 200-250 monks inside the Paro Dzong.
The entrance of the dzong with a big wooden door traditionally carved with Bhutanese architecture is guarded by two traditional effigies standing on either side of the gate. You can see a Mongol holding a tiger on a leash and a man holding a black yak.
Below the dzong, a traditional wooden covered bridge called Nyamai Zam spans the Paro Chhu. This is a reconstruction of the original bridge, which was washed away in a flood in 1969. Earlier versions of this bridge were removed in times of war to protect the dzong. The most picturesque photos of Rinpung Dzong Paro are taken from the west bank of the river, just downstream from the bridge.
Scenes from Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1993 film Little Buddha were filmed here.
The Utse or tower of the Dzong is one of the most beautiful in Bhutan. You can see the outstanding woodwork. Monks’ classroom is on the southern side (to the left). You can see the mural of the ‘mystic spiral’, a uniquely Bhutanese variation on the mandala. Other murals Mt Meru, the legendary center of the universe, are surrounded by seven mountain ranges and four continents. The front courtyard of the administrative section is 6m higher than the courtyard.
The large dukhang (prayer hall) opposite has lovely exterior murals depicting the life of Tibet’s poet-saint Milarepa
Every year Paro Festival is held in Paro Dzong and Outside. Outside the dzong, to the northeast of the entrance, is a stone-paved festival ground where masked dancers perform the main dances of the tsechu. A thondrol – a huge thangka (painted or embroidered religious picture) of Guru Rinpoche of more than 18 sq meters, is unfurled shortly after dawn on the final day of the tsechu – you can see the huge rail upon which it is hung. It was commissioned in the 18th century by the eighth desi (secular ruler of Bhutan), also known as Druk Desi, Chhogyel Sherab Wangchuck.