02 · GALLERY
Five frames.
Paro Dzong is a 17th-century fortress-monastery on a steep hill above the Paro Chu river. Each spring, for five days, the inner courtyard becomes the most sacred music venue in the Himalayas. Cham dance: masked monks rotate slowly to the drone of the dungchen long trumpets, the clash of cymbals, the thunder of drums. The Himalayas rise behind. On day three, before dawn, the monks unfurl a giant silk thangka down the side of the dzong, lit by butter lamps. The music starts before the sun. The Paro Tshechu is not a tourist event, it is a religious gathering at which the international audience is permitted, and the Bhutanese audience makes the room.
Day three (the thangka unfurling at dawn) is the spiritual peak. The music starts before the sun. You sleep four hours that night and you regret nothing.
Bhutan's only honest entry. Sacred music in a sacred place. Anchors the Himalayan slot.
Annual, five days in March or April (varies by lunar calendar). Day three (the giant thangka unfurling at dawn) is the spiritual peak. Music starts before sunrise, ceremony continues into night.
Annual five-day festival, dates vary by lunar calendar. Cham dances at the Paro Dzong courtyard run from 09:00 to 17:00 each day; ceremonies continue earlier and later.
Fly Paro (PBH) via Druk Air or Bhutan Airlines (Bhutan's only international airport). Mandatory Bhutanese tour guide and tariff. From Paro town, walk or taxi to the Dzong, ten minutes north.