| Jakar
Dzong and nearby fortresses-monasteries (various ages) |
Jakar, Bhutan |
Click on an image to enlarge
Jakar (Byakar) dzong towers almost fifty meters above its high perch overlooking the town of Wangchuling and the Bumthang river. One of the grandest dzong (fortress-monasteries), it is surrounded by a wall of stone about one and a half kilometers in circumference. The dzong even contains a hidden passageway that leads down to the river, providing a stable water supply in times of seige.
Bhutan hasn't known war for many years, but the dzongs--established, they say, in the early 1600s by the nation's founder--are primed for defense. Besides their steep walls intended to discourage attackers, the dzongs are equipped with numerous arrow slits from which a defender could fire safely over a ninety degree area. Inside, however, the dzong are built much like most other buildings--albeit with very narrow courtyards.
Bibliography:
All images copyright 1994-present Galen R. Frysinger (these photographs taken 1994)
Karan, Pradyumna P. Bhutan:
A Physical and Cultural Geography
University
of Kentucky Press, 1967. Lexington
Schicklgruber, Christian &
Pommaret, Francoise. Bhutan: Mountain Fortress of the Gods
Shambhala
Publishers, 1998. Boston
Visit his website at www.galenfrysinger.com