Central Bhutan

There is a rich history of how Trongsa got its name. When Lam Nagi Wangchuk, the great grandfather of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel came to Trongsa in 1541 and he lived in the village of Yueli, above the present Dzong. One night while meditating at Yueli, he observed a light burning on the ridge below. When he went down to the light, he saw the footprints of the horse of Palden Lhamo, Bhutan’s guardian deity. After visiting the site he took it as an auspicious sign, he built a tshamkhang (meditation cell) and meditated there. Later he attracted many disciples who built tshankhangs, to turn it into a place, which began to look like a new village. The people of Yueli named the place Trongsar.“Trong” meaning ‘village and “sar” meaning ‘new’, ‘a new village’. The shops in the town are designed in typical fashion in line with the surrounding landscape and all the roads leading to the East, West and South diverge from the center of the town.