Trashigang or Tashigang is a town in eastern Bhutan and the district capital of the Trashigang Dzongkhag (district). The town surrounded by lush green mountains and forests lies to the east side of the valley above the Drangme Chhu River just south of where it is joined by the Gamri River. According to legend, the sight of the Dzong scared the Tibetan army which retreated while remarking that the Dzong was a “Sky Dzong and was not on the ground”. The dzong was consecrated and named Trashigang by Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje.
Trashigang is the eastern terminus of the Lateral Road, Bhutan’s main highway leading to Phuntsholing in the southwest. The highlight of the town is Trashigang Dzong that was built in 1659 by Trongsa Penlop Minjur Tenpa to defend against Tibetan invasions and served for centuries as an administrative headquarters and monastery. Its sinking eastern foundation and crumbling upper walls necessitated though government offices mostly relocated by 2011. In October 2011, dzong, under renovation since 2007, was on the verge of collapse. However, as of 2012, the Trashigang Dzong was still used for the town’s yearly religious festival called Tsechu, in the month of December, it is one of the biggest festivals in eastern Bhutan.
The highlight of Trashigang Tshechu is the revealing of thongdrel (large tapestry) of Guru Tshengyed (regarded as the eighth manifestations of Guru Rinpoche). The largest district in Bhutan, Trashigang almost touches the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India. It has three sub-districts and fifteen gewogs. Sherubtse College was the first accredited college in Bhutan, founded in 1966 by a group of Jesuits under the leadership of William Mackey. As of 2003 it became part of the newly created Royal University of Bhutan system that comprises all public post-secondary schools in Bhutan. Rangjung, Kanglung and Wamrong are some of the major towns under Trashigang district. The population of Trashigang is about 3000 only.
Trashigang is served by Yonphula Airport which is around an hour drive from the town linking it to Paro airport. By road from Thimphu there are two routes to reach Trashigang, both requiring two days of travel. On the northern route, there are direct buses that make a night stop at Jakar and pass through Mongar. The southern route passes through Phuentsholing, to Samdrup Jongkhar, there are no buses on this route. It passes through the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam, but from Samdrup Jongkhar, there are direct buses to Trashigang. Druk Denjung Hotel.
In the absence of tourist class hotels, is a small hotel available for stay at budget rates. As the town is small there are nothing to see around., however the town can be used as tourism hub to visit Rangjung Woesel Chokling monastery, 16 km away; Radi, 8 km north of Rangjung known as the “rice basket in the east” snd famous for Radi Lhakhang temple; Sakten, for trekking; Khaling famous for its weaving center and Pasaphu village famous for its handmade cane baskets and other cane products.
During ancient times, Trashigang was an important place for trade and commerce for merchants looking to buy and sell their goods in Tibet. The marketplace is small but also frequented by semi-nomadic people belonging to Merak and Sakteng tribe. Trashigang is home to the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the “ten protected areas of Bhutan”. It was created in order to protect the migoi, a type of Yeti whose existence Bhutanese people believe in but has not been scientifically proven.
Trashigang is also known for Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary. A birdwatchers paradise the Sanctuary has many bird species like blacked rumped magpie and eastern blue pine. The best time to plan a visit to Trashigang largely depends on you, and what kind of weather you enjoy travelling in. The average temperature throughout the year fluctuates between 7°C to 26°C. a visit to Trashigang, a beautiful serene town of Bhutan also called the Jewel of the East is a must for tourist visiting Bhutan.
