Thomas Wanhoff
Trongsa Dzong is a Drukpa Kagyu monastery-fortress in central Bhutan. Around 1357, Longchen Rabjampa built a monastery called Mandue Sherubling at the site. Renamed as Trongsa Dzong in 1543 by Ngaki Wangchuk, grandfather of Zhabdrung Ngawang Nyamgyel, it significantly expanded over time, a monastic community was established there in 1765 under Tronsa Penlop Zhidar. Due to its strategic location, the Dzong's governors controlled eastern and central Bhutan in the nineteenth century, and it functioned as a defacto capital. It is also known for its printery, which produced religious texts in the traditional Bhutanese method.