Early Morning Beauty: The Punakha Dzong in Bhutan

The Punakha Dzong is a stunning architectural masterpiece in Bhutan, and staying at the Six Senses in Punakha means passing by it every time you arrive or leave. Although impressive every time you pass, the dzong's full beauty is best captured early in the morning. This postcard features a photograph taken at 5:30 am. Constructed in 1637, the dzong served as the capital and seat of government until the mid-1950s, and all of Bhutan's kings have been crowned here. It is 180m long and 72m wide, with three docheys, which is unusual. The gold dome on the central tower was built in 1676, and many features were added between 1744 and 1763, including the chenmo thondrol, a large thangka exhibited once a year during the tsechu festival. Despite damages from fires, earthquakes, and a glacial lake burst in 1994, the dzong has since been repaired. Access is across the Bazam bridge, which was rebuilt in 2008 after the original 17th-century bridge was washed away in floods in 1958 – Punakha Dzong, Punakha, Buthan