About

Wangduephodrang Dzong Reconstruction Project

The tragic fire accident on 24 June 2012 led to the loss of one of the most important and historic heritage sites in Bhutan, the Wangduephodrang Dzong.  Under the guidance of His Majesty the King and His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, all the precious nangtens were saved and there was no human casualty.  His Holiness the Je Khenpo performed purification and other religious ceremonies for the rescued nangtens, and these nangtens are currently housed in the Tadzongang Drasha, where the Dzongkhag Rabdey are currently residing.

Fund mobilization:

On 13th July 2012, His Majesty the King granted Nu 200 million for reconstruction of the Dzong. BBS has mobilized fund collection of Nu 65.5 million.  The Ministry of Finance has received contributions from individuals as well as organizations amounting to Nu 28.325 million. The total amount mobilized through these sources is Nu. 293.825 million.

Beside the above amount, Wangdue Rabdey also received contributions from various individuals and agencies amounting to Nu. 40.004 million. Wangdue Rabdey has also received contributions in kind, in addition to the ones submitted by the BBS.

The Government of India has granted a budget of Nu. 1 billion for the reconstruction of Wangduephodrang Dzong, as part of the Project Tied Assistance grant for the 11th Five Year Plan programs of the Royal Government of Bhutan.

Material mobilization:

In accordance with the command of His Majesty the King and His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and Natural Resources Development Corporation Limited has already earmarked the sites to extract timber and quarry stones for the reconstruction of the Dzong. Till date, the NRDCL has already allocated 25,000 cft of timber from various NRDCL depots and 125,000 cft of timber (mainly hardwood) have been felled and left for seasoning without debarking as per the command of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.

Detail study of the Dzong after fire:

The Ministry of Home & Cultural Affairs undertook a detailed documentation and assessment of the condition of the remaining structure of the Dzong from 5th July 2012 onwards. A very comprehensive report on the findings of the survey was prepared and submitted to the Government and His Majesty the King. The survey findings led to the preparation of the preliminary design for the reconstruction of Wangduephodrang Dzong, and these designs have been approved by His Majesty the King for further detailing and implementation on site.

Steering Committee and Project Management:

His Majesty the King commanded to form a committee to oversee the reconstruction of Wangduephodrang Dzong. Accordingly, a thirteen member Steering Committee chaired by the Minister for Home and Cultural Affairs has been formed. The first and the second Steering Committee meetings convened on 20 November 2013 and 31 December 2013 respectively, which was followed by visit to the Dzong site on 5 January 2014. The Steering Committee decided to form a special project management team headed by a Project Director to execute the reconstruction work. Upon the recommendation of the Steering Committee, His Majesty the King approved the appointment of Mr. Kinley Wangchuk from Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs as the Project Director for Wangduephodrang Dzong Reconstruction Project. His Majesty the King granted an audience to the Steering Committee members and the newly appointed Project Director on 13 January 2014.

Wangduephodrang Dzong Reconstruction Project:

The main objective of this project is to rebuild Wangduephodrang Dzong to its former glory incorporating state-of-the-art technology in terms of disaster resilience measures and traditional architecture.

The scope of the Project is as follows:

  1. Dismantling of affected walls at least till the courtyard level as per the assessment report prepared by the Department of Culture, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs.
  2. Reconstruction of the Dzong (total length 200m and width varying from 16 to 32 meters).

This includes consolidation of the structure (below courtyard level), rebuilding of walls along the original wall profile (including timber, stone and other construction related works), redesigning the internal room layouts including adaptive reuse of unused space to enhance the living condition of the users.

  1. Incorporation of seismic resilient features and installation of improved service system especially electrical, plumbing, drainage and fire protection systems.
  2. Installation of Cultural properties including wall paintings, interior furnishings, statues with all the relevant accessories and ceremonies, roof pinnacle,  etc.
  3. Landscaping and site development of the Dzong.

The reconstruction works has begun from this month and this project is expected to be completed within five years (January 2014 – December 2018).

His Holiness the Je Khenpo will oversee a “mani dungdrub and zhiwi-jinsey” ceremony to mark an auspicious beginning of this historic project under the auspices of His Majesty the King from 25 to 28 January 2014.

Wangduephodrang Dzong Reconstruction Project,
Division for Conservation of Heritage Sites,
Department of Culture,
Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs