Wangdichholing Palace

Bhutan

LoginSave

The palace of Wangdichholing was built in 1857 on the battle-camp site of the penlop of Trongsa, Jigme Namgyal. It was the first palace in Bhutan that wasn't designed primarily as a fortress. The grand but rather neglected building was used as a lobra (monastic school); however, the Bhutan Foundation (www.bhutanfound.org) has started to restore it and convert it into a museum.

Namgyal's son, King Ugyen Wangchuck, the first king of Bhutan, was born in Wangdichholing and chose it as his principal residence. The entire court moved from here to Kuenga Rabten each winter in a procession that took three days. Wangdichholing was also for a time the home of the third king, before he moved the royal court to Punakha in 1952.

There are five giant water-powered prayer wheels inside square chortens just to the north. The sleek modern building next door is the upmarket resort Amankora.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Scenic view of the Trongsa District, Trongsa Dzong, Trongsa, Bhutan

    Trongsa Dzong

    15.43 MILES

    This commanding dzong, high above the roaring Mangde Chhu, is perhaps the most spectacularly sited dzong in Bhutan, with a sheer drop to the south that…

  • At a strategic vantage point perched high over Trongsa Dzong, rises its watch tower, Bhutan.

    Tower of Trongsa Royal Heritage Museum

    15.26 MILES

    This watchtower (ta dzong) overlooking the dzong now houses an excellent museum. The five floors of displays tell the history of the monarchy through such…

  • Jakar Dzong in mountains.

    Jakar Dzong

    0.54 MILES

    Jakar Dzong is in a picturesque location overlooking the Chokhor valley; the current structure was built in 1667. Its official name is Yuelay Namgyal…

  • Kurjey Lhakhang means "Body Imprint Temple" is located in Bumthang, central Bhutan. It was built in the 8th century. Guru Rinpoche, the tantric master of Bhutan Buddhism, meditated in this temple for three months and left his body imprint inside the cave. "Kurjey" means body imprint. At the side of the temple there is a tall cypress tree that is believed to have sprouted from the walking stick of Guru Rinpoche.

    Kurjey Lhakhang

    2.38 MILES

    This large, active and important temple complex is named after the body (kur) print (jey) of Guru Rinpoche, which is preserved in a cave inside the oldest…

  • Chhoekhor, Bhutan - November 9, 2015: Pilgrim is praying at the Jampey Lhakhang temple, Chhoekhor, Bhutan with the image of the 5th King of Bhutan in the background. It is one of the oldest temple in Bhutan. It is said to date back to 7th century

    Jampey Lhakhang

    1.57 MILES

    Up a short side road about 1.5km past Sey Lhakhang, this fabulous temple is believed to have been built in 659 by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, on the…

  • Tamshing Goemba

    Tamshing Goemba

    2.4 MILES

    This goemba, formally the Tamshing Lhendup Chholing (Temple of the Good Message), is 5km from Jakar. It was established in 1501 by Pema Lingpa and is the…

  • Ngang Lhakhang

    Ngang Lhakhang

    7.34 MILES

    A bumpy 10km drive up the Chokhor valley from Thangbi Goemba is the small region known as Ngang-yul (Swan Land). The site was visited by Guru Rinpoche,…

  • Konchogsum Lhakhang

    Konchogsum Lhakhang

    2.08 MILES

    Just 400m below Tamshing, this towering, recently constructed and brightly painted building completely envelops the restored remains of the original…

View more attractions

Nearby Bhutan attractions

1. Chortens

0.05 MILES

Five giant prayer wheels inside these square chortens are powered by water.

2. Bumthang Brewery

0.33 MILES

At this state-of-the-art microbrewery you will learn about the brewing of the Swiss-style unfiltered weiss beer, before sampling the end product in the…

3. Cheese Factory

0.33 MILES

Bhutan's only commercial cheese factory. A tour includes free cheese tasting.

4. Sey Lhakhang

0.34 MILES

Beyond the hospital north of Jakar is the Sey Lhakhang ('sey' means 'golden'). Properly known as Lhodrak Seykhar Dratshang, this is a monastic school that…

5. Jakar Dzong

0.54 MILES

Jakar Dzong is in a picturesque location overlooking the Chokhor valley; the current structure was built in 1667. Its official name is Yuelay Namgyal…

6. Chorten

0.57 MILES

This chorten containing a large water-driven prayer wheel marks the intersection between Jakar's main thoroughfare and the road that follows the Chamkhar…

7. Jakar Lhakhang

0.59 MILES

The 14th-century Jakar Lhakhang marks the centre of the town.

8. Chorten

0.69 MILES

This chorten marks the spot where a Tibetan general's head was buried after the defeat of a 17th-century Tibetan invasion force.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "bhutan/central-bhutan/jakar/attractions/wangdichholing-palace/a/poi-sig/485728/355822",
  "destination": "Bhutan",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "country": "Bhutan",
  "position": "superzone"
}