Simtokha Dzong

Simtokha Dzong sits on a ridge about 5 km south of central Thimphu, above the valley the capital now fills. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the lama who unified Bhutan, had it built in 1629. It was the first dzong he founded, and it is regarded as the oldest dzong in the country to survive as a complete structure. Its formal name is Sangak Zabdhon Phodrang, the palace of the profound meaning of secret mantras. The everyday name comes from a local story: simmo means demoness and do means stone, after a demon said to have vanished into a rock here.

What you see inside

The main chapel holds a large Shakyamuni flanked by eight bodhisattvas, and its walls carry some of the oldest murals in Bhutan. Separate chapels are given to Yeshe Goenpo (Mahakala) and Palden Lhamo, two of the country's protector deities. At ground level, look for the row of roughly 300 carved slate panels showing saints and philosophers; they are easy to walk past and repay a slow look.

How it has changed

The third Druk Desi, Mingyur Tenpa, completed the first renovation and extension in 1670, and the most recent refurbishment was carried out with architects from Japan. For many years the dzong housed the country's leading school for Dzongkha and cultural studies. That school, now the College of Language and Culture Studies, moved to its own campus at Taktse in Trongsa in 2011, so older guidebooks that describe the dzong as a language institute are out of date.

Most people pair Simtokha with the larger Tashichho Dzong to see how the dzong form developed between the 17th century and the rebuilding of the 1960s. A licensed guide is required for the visit, as everywhere in Bhutan. See our Thimphu district guide for the other sights around the capital.