Paro District

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Paro is the name of a district (dzongkhag), valley, river and town (population 20,000) in the Kingdom of Bhutan, located at 27°30′N 89°20′E. It is one of the most historic valleys in Bhutan. Both trade goods and invading Tibetans came over the pass at the head of the valley, giving Paro the closest cultural connection with Tibet of any Bhutanese district. Important cultural sites include:

• Taktshang, or Tiger's Nest, the most famous monastery in Bhutan
• Kyichu Lhakhang, which along with Jambay Lhakhang in central Bhutan is the oldest temple in Bhutan, dating to the 7th century
• Drukgyel Dzong, at the upper end of the valley, built to protect against invading Tibetans, but in ruins since a fire in the 1950s.
• Paro Town, the single market town in the dzonghag which is booming (by Bhutanese standards) due to an influx of tourist dollars.
• Rinpung Dzong, also known as Paro Dzong, the massive fortress/monastery which is also the administrative center of the dzonkhag. Scenes from the movie Little Buddha were filmed in and around this dzong.
• The National Museum of Bhutan, where visitors can learn about the culture of Bhutan.

Paro contains the only active international airport in Bhutan, the Paro Airport, a beautiful small green-roofed facility in a valley, served only by Druk Air (Bhutan's National Airline) from India and other countries in Southeast Asia.

Paro is bordered by Haa dzongkhag to the west, Tibet to the north, Thimphu to the east, and Chukha dzongkhag to the south. Paro is comprised of ten gewogs or counties:

• Doga Gewog
• Dopshari Gewog
• Doteng Gewog
• Hungrel Gewog
• Lamgong Gewog
• Lungnyi Gewog
• Naja Gewog
• Shapa Gewog
• Tsento Gewog
• Wangchang Gewog

See also: Districts of Bhutan