Rinpung Dzong

Rinpung Dzong is a large Buddhist monastery and fortress in the Paro Valley, built by the 12th Druk Desi in 1646 on the ruins of an earlier fortification. The dzong guards the approach to Paro town over a traditional wooden covered bridge (Nemi Zam) spanning the Paro Chhu. It serves as the administrative centre for Paro district and the seat of its monastic community. The structure is renowned for its interior courtyard religious paintings and houses administrative offices alongside temples, making it a working example of Bhutan's dual secular-religious governance system.