The Asian capital home to Tashichho Dzong, Bhutan’s seat of government, is Thimphu.
Thimphu is Bhutan’s capital and largest city, located in a high valley along the Wang Chhu in western-central Bhutan. Tashichho Dzong stands on the northern edge of the city and traditionally served as the seat of Bhutan’s civil government and the summer residence of the country’s monastic body.
The dzong’s history is layered. An earlier fortress was founded in 1216, while the present complex was rebuilt after earlier destruction and became the government’s seat after Bhutan’s capital moved from Punakha to Thimphu. The current structure was completed and consecrated in the 1960s.
Thimphu replaced Punakha as Bhutan’s capital in 1955 and was officially declared the capital in 1961. Kathmandu is a nearby regional capital often offered as a distractor, but Tashichho Dzong is specifically associated with Thimphu. Bhutan’s only international airport is at Paro, not in the capital.