Page 19 - BHUTAN 2007

Monasteries, temples and dzongs share these characteristics too so they
add to the organic appearance of the Bhutan architecture; all the buildings

look as if they belong here and nowhere else. The dzongs are structures

unique to Bhutan and reflect the close alliance of political governance and

the Buddhist religion. Each of the twenty districts of Bhutan is administered

by a local governor (penlop) whose offices are housed in half the dzong. The
other half of the building contains the religious authority and a monastery.

The double-purposed building thus demonstrates the dual nature of

Bhutanese governance.

These buildings are impressive in size compared with other structures in

their districts. They share the ornate window treatments and the

construction style. The walls are very thick and taper inward as they rise. In

addition, they are crowned with shining, gold or brass, multi-layered roofs
with pagoda-like projections from the topmost portion. These buildings are