Paro

Paro is the name of a dzongkhag (district), valley, and town in the kingdom of Bhutan. Paro district one of the most historic valleys in Bhutan. Both trade goods and invading Tibetans came over the pass at the head of the valley, giving Paro the closest cultural connection with Tibet of any Bhutanese district. Important cultural sites include:

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• Taktshang, or Dragon's Nest, the most famous monastery in Bhutan
• Kyichu Lhakhang, which along with Jambay Lhakhang in central Bhutan is the oldest temple in Bhutan, dating to the 7th century
• Drukgyel Dzong, at the upper end of the valley, built to protect against invading Tibetans, but in ruins since a fire in the 1950s.
• Paro Town, the single market town in the dzonghag which is booming (by Bhutanese standards) due to an influx of tourist dollars.
• Rinpung Dzong, also known as Paro Dzong, the massive fortress/monastery which is also the administrative center of the dzonkhag. Scenes from the movie Little Buddha were filmed in and around this dzong.
• The National Museum of Bhutan, where visitors can learn about the culture of Bhutan.

Paro contains the only active airport in Bhutan, a beautiful small green-roofed facility in a valley, served only by Druk Air (Bhutan's National Airline) from India and other countries in Southeast Asia.

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Paro is bordered by Haa dzongkhag to the west, Tibet to the north, Thimphu to the east, and Chukha dzongkhag to the south. Paro is comprised of ten gewogs or counties:

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• Doga Gewog
• Dopshari Gewog
• Doteng Gewog
• Hungrel Gewog
• Lamgong Gewog
• Lungnyi Gewog
• Naja Gewog
• Shapa Gewog
• Tsento Gewog
• Wangchang Gewog

See also: districts of Bhutan

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Dzongkhag: A dzongkhag () is the name for a district of Bhutan in the Dzongkha language. 20 dzongkhags of Bhutan are further divided into 205 gewogs. Some of the bigger dzongkhags have one or more of an intermediate division known as the dungkhag (sub-district) along with its gewogs, which is again further div...

Kingdom: In politics, a country (or in some cases, a group of countries) over which a king or queen reigns, is a kingdom, see: monarchy.In biological taxonomy (the study of the classification of organisms), the broadest category is a kingdom, see: kingdom (biology).Kingdoms is Origins Award-winning board gam...

Bhutan: The Kingdom of Bhutan ( ) is a landlocked nation in the Himalaya Mountains, sandwiched between India and the People's Republic of China in South Asia. The local name for the country is Druk Yul. It is also called Druk Tsendhen (land of the thunder dragon), because the thunder there is said to be the...

Paro related Images and Photos (experimental)

The Tiger's Nest Paro Valley Taksang Monastery Himalayan Kingdom Bhutan

Monastery on a Cliff Taktshang Monastery Paro Bhutan

Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) Dzong Perched on Edge of Steep Cliff Paro Valley Bhutan