Trashi Yangtse
Tshechu

The District & Its Traditions

Trashi Yangtse — Fortress of the Auspicious Fortune

When Terton Pema Lingpa visited Trashi Yangtse in the 15th century, he gave the region a name that has endured: “the fortress of the auspicious fortune.” It is a name that fits. The district sits in the northeasternmost corner of Bhutan, bordered by Arunachal Pradesh to the east and by the Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary to the north, covering 1,437 sq km of subtropical and alpine forest at elevations between 1,750 and 1,880 metres. It is one of the last districts to have been formally established — created in 1992 when it was carved out of Trashigang — yet some of its history is among the oldest in the country.

The district’s ethnic composition is the most diverse of any in eastern Bhutan. Five communities share the Trashi Yangtse valleys: the Yangtseps — the region’s indigenous inhabitants, whose traditions and language are distinct from all their neighbours — alongside the Tshanglas (Sharchop-speaking), Bramis from Tawang across the border in Arunachal Pradesh, Khengpas from Zhemgang in south-central Bhutan, and Kurtoeps from the Lhuentse (Kurtoe) region. Three major languages are spoken in the district. This cultural layering is visible at the Tshechu, where the assembled crowd represents a breadth of tradition rarely seen at a single festival in Bhutan.

The Festival Programme

The Trashi Yangtse Tshechu runs for three days from the 7th day of the 1st Bhutanese lunar month, typically falling in February or March. The festival was held for many years at Dongdey Dzong — the old Trashi Yangtse Dzong, 5km from the town centre — but since 2014 it has been held at the new Trashi Yangtse Dzong, sanctified in 2005 on a ridge above the confluence of the Dongdi Chhu and Kholong Chhu rivers.

The performers are unusually diverse: the cast includes monks of the Trashi Yangtse Dzong monastic body, district mask dancers from across the communities, and students from regional schools who perform folk dances. This combination — formal monastic Cham alongside community folk dances from multiple ethnic groups — gives the Trashi Yangtse Tshechu a character distinct from the more purely monastic festivals of western Bhutan. The festival concludes with the unfurling of the Guru Tshengye Thongdrel — the great appliqüé scroll depicting the eight manifestations of Guru Rinpoche.

Trashi Yangtse’s Craft Traditions

Two craft traditions define Trashi Yangtse above all others. The first is Dappa — hand-turned wooden bowls produced in the northern villages of the district. Carved from maple or avocado wood on a traditional foot-powered lathe, Dappa bowls are prized across Bhutan for their perfectly circular form and near-airtight seal. Traditionally used as food containers and for carrying items on journeys, they are now sought after as objects of craft and collecting. Visiting the workshops of Trashi Yangtse town and the surrounding villages is the best way to purchase directly from the makers and to watch the turning in progress.

The second is Deysho — traditional Bhutanese paper made by hand from the bark of the Daphne plant. Deysho is used for official government documents, religious texts, prayer flags, and traditional arts. The district is one of the very few places in Bhutan where the craft is still actively practised. The district’s Zorig Chusum Institute — a sister school to Thimphu’s National Institute for Zorig Chusum — trains students in all 13 traditional arts: woodcarving, pottery, embroidery, painting, sculpture, and more.

Things to See in and Around Trashi Yangtse

• Chorten Kora — the great white stupa modelled on Boudhanath, site of the Dakpa Kora and Drukpa Kora festivals in February/March. Built in 1740 by Lama Ngawang Loday using a radish model. One of the most important pilgrimage sites in eastern Bhutan.
• Gomphu Kora — 23km south, the sacred meditation cave of Guru Rinpoche where the annual kora festival draws pilgrims from Arunachal Pradesh and across eastern Bhutan.
• Tshenkharla Dzong — the ruins of what may be the oldest dzong in Bhutan, believed to have been built in the 9th century by a Tibetan prince. A short hike from the main road, rarely visited, haunting in its antiquity.
• Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary — the northern half of the district is within this protected area, which is one of the winter roosting grounds for the endangered black-necked crane. Birds are present from late October to February.
• Omba Ney — known as the Taktsang of the East, a cliffside temple above the Kholongchu river where the sacred mantra OM is visible inscribed in the rock face. A significant pilgrimage site reached by a short hike.
• Rigsum Goenpa — the monastery of Lama Ngawang Loday who built Chorten Kora, set on a ridge above the Yangtse valley with excellent views.