Fortress
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Drukgyel Dzong
Drukgyel Dzong ('Fortress of the Victorious Drukpas') is a historic 17th-century fortress and Buddhist monastery ruin located in the upper Paro Valley of Bhutan. Built in 1649 by Tenzin Drukdra under the direction of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the fortress was constructed to commemorate Bhutan's decisive victory over an invading Tibetan-Mongol army and to control the northern invasion route from Tibet. Following a devastating accidental fire in 1951, the fortress stood in dramatic ruin for decades. Revered as a monument to fallen war heroes, Drukgyel Dzong is famous in local folklore for reports of phantom marchers, ghost lights flickering among the ruined ramparts, and disembodied clash of swords echoing through the mist-shrouded valley.