About National Museum of Bhutan
(It has 6 floors)
After the advent of modernism in the country the Royal Government of Bhutan, with an aim to showcase the country's rich culture and traditions, initiated the idea to introduce a museum for the first time and in 1968 the watchtower above Paro Dzong was chosen to initially house a modest collection of murals, numismatics, philately, etc.
Over the years, after much renovation the museum accumulated more and more objects from different parts of the country and is today a storehouse of Bhutan's cultural and traditional treasures. With over thirteen galleries, each holding exhibits from different periods and places in the country, the National Museum of Bhutan takes pride in its effort to educate its visitors, be they local or foreign, about the country's cultural history that date back to as early as 2000 B.C and its metamorphism over the ages into what it is today. After more than three decades, the museum has established itself not only as a huge tourist attraction but also as an institution of learning for both scholars and visitors; considering the history of the building, the National Museum of Bhutan can rightly be termed as a 'museum within a museum'.
The museum aims to:
- Acquire, research, preserve and interpret the history, art and culture of Bhutan from the ancient to the present day.
- Organize, maintain and develop galleries for the purpose of education and leisure.
- Develop educational and documentation center in order to acquire and preserve documents relating to works of Bhutanese art and history.
- Organize lectures, seminars and research on the museum artifacts.
- Develop specialized reference books, periodicals, photographs and audio-
visualmaterials. - Develop information source and database of the artifacts.
Lonely Planet review: : Phone 271257; Email nmb@druknet.bt
At the top of the hill above Paro Dzong is an old watchtower that was renovated in 1968 to house the National Museum. The unusual round building is said to be in the shape of a conch shell, with 2.5m thick walls; it was completed in 1656 and was originally the ta dzong (watchtower) of Paro Dzong. There is said to be an underground tunnel that leads from the watchtower to the water supply below.
There is a specific route to follow through the entire building that ensures that you walk clockwise around important images. Cameras are not allowed inside the museum but you can photograph the grounds. The museum is an attraction for locals as well as tourists and you may be accompanied by Bhutanese from remote villages or groups of school children on an outing.
You start off on the fourth floor with a description of early history that perfectly
illustrates how magic and science are inseparable in Bhutan. Early stone implements
are described as the weapons of the naga (snake) spirits; early rock carvings and
inscriptions are labeled as 'self-
The fifth floor has an impressive collection of thangkas , both ancient and modern, depicting all of Bhutan's important saints and teachers. The sixth floor reveals the eclecticism of Bhutan's philatelic collection, including some stamps that you can listen to on a record player.
At the end of the gallery a doorway leads to the Tshozhing Lhakhang, the Temple of
the Tree of Wisdom, a complex four-
Back down on the fifth floor is the Namse Lhakhang, with a collection of religious
statues and stone carvings. The lower-
After visiting, you can walk down a path from the museum to the dzong and back to the town, enjoying good views of the valley and of Ugyen Pelri Palace
National Museum