Places to visit in Samdrup Jongkhar
The road from Trashigang to Samdrup Jongkhar, completed in the 1960s, enables the eastern half of the country to access and benefit from trade with the south as well as across the Indian border. There is little to see in this area, other than the busy market which straddles the border. Samdrup Jongkhar is a convenient exit town for tourists who have arranged to visit the neighboring Indian state of Assam.
Samdrup Jongkhar is located at 197 km from Gelephu Town which takes about 5 hours to drive from Gelephu town.
Samdrup Jongkhar Dzong
The Samdrup Jongkhar Dzong is one of the newest built Dzongs in the country and it serves as the office for district administrators. The Dzong in Samdrup Jongkhar is built on a plane and on a rather open area unlike other Dzongs in the country which are strategically built on hilltops and mountains. The Dratshang to the Dzong was recently constructed to house the monk body of the districts.
Zangdo Pelri Lhakhang
The three-storied Zangdo pelri is located in the heart of the town. Zangdo Pelri means celestial abode of Guru Rinpoche. The complex serves as a spiritual refuge of the locals where they can pray perform religious offerings to Guru Padmasambhava. The exterior architecture is something to marvel over, after all, it is replications of Guru’s paradise. The interior, however, is equally marvelous as the walls and ceilings see explosions of intricate frescos and fine Buddhist statues are a pleasure to the visitors.
