28 January 2014 - Upon Command of His Majesty The King, a prayer ceremony was performed at the site of the Wangduephodrang Dzong to remove obstacles and ensure a successful reconstruction of the Dzong. The Chenrezig Zhiwei Jingsey ceremony administered by His Holiness the Je Khenpo marks the long-awaited commencement of reconstruction work of the Druk Khamsum Wangdi Choki Phodrang Dzong. His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen, accompanied by the Prime Minister, Ministers, the Indian Ambassador, Members of Parliament, Members of the Wangduephodrang Dzong Reconstruction Steering Committee, local government leaders and dzongkhag officials, offered prayers at the site of the dzong to mark the beginning of the reconstruction. His Majesty The King also granted Nu 30 million which was offered with prayers by numerous people in Bhutan and abroad to the Office of the Gyalpoi Zimpon. In a Royal Edict commanding the immediate release of the money to the Dzong Reconstruction Project, His Majesty thanked the many people who made generous contributions for the reconstruction of the Dzong, and expressed the hope that their selfless act would gain immeasurable merit. Following a 200 million grant from His Majesty The King in 2012, the Bhutan Broadcasting Service corporation mobilized Nu 65.5 million, the ministry of finance received Nu 28.32 million, and the Wangdue rabdey received Nu 40 million towards the reconstruction of the Dzong. The government of India added a Nu 1 billion grant, bringing the total to over Nu 1.3 billion. The Druk Khamsum Wangdi Choki Phodrang Dzong was built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel on a hill that resembled a sleeping elephant in 1638, after receiving a divine prophecy that the construction of the Dzong would unite the country. The whole nation was devastated by the fire that completely damaged the dzong on 24 July 2012. His Majesty visited the site immediately, and commanded that the dzong would be restored to its former magnificence. The reconstructed dzong will have modern amenities with adequate safety measures to prevent another disaster, but will preserve the aesthetics of the previous structure.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 04:55:11 +0000