His Majesty the King and His Holiness the Je Khenpo unveiled the plaque for the Wangdue Phodrang Dzong reconstruction project, marking the commencement of the project yesterday. The dzong which was built over 300 years ago by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal was destroyed by a fire in June 2012.
Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen, Prime Minister, the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, V P Haran and Cabinet Ministers also attended the ceremony.
Upon the command of His Majesty the King, a prayer ceremony was held for the successful reconstruction works.
His Holiness the Je Khenpo presided over the Chenrezig Zhiwei Jingsey to mark the much awaited commencement of the reconstruction works of the dzong.
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Her Majesty the Gyeltshuen also handed over a Royal Edict commanding the immediate release of money to the Dzong Reconstruction Committee.
His Majesty also granted Nu.30 million which was offered by the people in the country and from overseas to the office of the Gyalpoi Zimpon.
Following a Nu.200 million grant from His Majesty in 2012, the Bhutan Broadcasting Service mobilized 65.5 million, the Ministry of Finance received over 28 million, and the Wangdue Rabdey received 40 million for the reconstruction of the Dzong. The Government of India added one billion grant, bringing the total amount to over Nu.1.3 billion.
The Reconstruction of the dzong is expected to be complete by December 2018.
The dzong will have modern amenities with adequate safety measures to prevent another disaster, but will preserve the age old architectural designs.
