Domkhar Tashicholing — the 1937 summer palace of His Majesty the Second Druk Gyalpo, in the Chumey valley.

Frequently asked

Who built Domkhar Tashicholing Palace?

His Majesty the Second Druk Gyalpo Jigme Wangchuck, who built it in 1937 as a summer palace in the Chumey valley of Bumthang. It was one of several residences he raised across the central valleys during his reign (1926–1952), when the early Wangchuck kings governed from the Bumthang heartland, before the capital moved to Thimphu in the 1950s.

Can the palace be entered?

As an active royal heritage building, Domkhar is generally appreciated from its grounds rather than entered. It adds to the texture of the Chumey valley — alongside the yathra weaving and the monasteries — as a reminder of the early Wangchuck court that once ruled from Bumthang. The matched guide reads its history on the way through.

Where does it fit in a Bumthang visit?

It lies in the Chumey valley, the first of Bumthang's four valleys reached on the drive in from Trongsa over the Yotong La — so it falls near the start of a Bumthang visit, close to the weaving village of Zugney and the Prakhar and Tharpaling monasteries, which it combines with naturally.