Lhuentse

DISCOVER LHUENTSE

About Lhuentse

Tucked into the north-eastern corner of the Kingdom, Lhuntse, historically known as Kurtoe, is the ancestral home of Bhutan's Kings. It is the birthplace of Jigme Namgyel, father of the First King, Sir Ugyen Wangchuck, and the progenitor of the Wangchuck dynasty. Few places in the country carry such deep significance for the nation's story. The landscape is spectacular, a dramatic sweep of stark cliffs, plunging gorges, and dense coniferous forests. Remote and untouched, Lhuntse preserves Bhutan's ancient culture, traditions, and way of life in their most authentic form. Its cultural landscape and historic monuments, including the imposing Lhuntse Dzong perched high above the Kuri Chhu river, offer a glimpse into two worlds, past and present, that coexist in spiritual harmony. Shamanic Bon rituals still add color to the region's cultural diversity. Lhuntse is perhaps best known for its weavers. The region's exquisite textile, the Kishuthara, is widely considered the finest in the country, each piece a labor of patience and artistry, with intricate supplementary-weft patterns woven by hand on a backstrap loom. The Kurtoeps, as the people of Lhuntse are called, are also gifted singers, and the valleys often resound with the melodies of popular regional folk songs.