The tragedy of Wangduephodrang dzong (JUN 25, 2012)

The tragedy of Wangduephodrang dzong (JUN 25, 2012)

  

The nation mourns today the loss of one of its oldest monuments that, having withstood the test of time for the last almost 400 years, succumbed yesterday to fire.

Utterly grief-stricken families at the site, and those watching the clips on television looked on helplessly as Wangduephodrang dzong got engulfed by a raging fire between 4pm and 5pm yesterday.

Travellers, passing through the dzongkhag stopped on the road between the crackling sound the fire made, as it ate deeper into the dzong above, and the swishing river flowing down below.

It was in utter disbelief that such a mischance would befall the dzong, that they watched it, stunned as they did, wondering and wishing that the fire cease somewhere and not burn down the entire structure.

Everybody, going through the dzongkhag, was used to seeing the dzong, which until yesterday stood proud, flowing along the contours of the ridge high above the river, as a living example of Bhutanese architecture.

The gentle drizzle that evening failed to, leave aside douse, even slow down the wind-fanned fire.

Fire, historically, has devastated such landmarks of the country, and it continues to do so even today, as they dispossess us of the very treasures before our very eyes, helpless against the forces of nature.

It was not foreign invasions that rendered some of the country’s once fortresses ruins, but it was more the constituents within that often caused it.

Then, it was the butter lamps; today, the threat is aggravated by electric short circuits.

There are many more dzongs in the country, just as old and seasoned, exposed to similar threats from fire, which is why the need for provisions to prevent such a mishap.

One obvious question that cropped in the minds of people watching and listening to the news of the dzong’s devastation, was, what of the modern and various fire extinguishers and alarms?

Ground reports were that there was no access for fire engines to squeeze into the interiors to battle the flames more effectively.

The devastation comes at a time when the country is already reeling under the issue of Rupee crunch, and restoring such monuments to their earlier grandeur poses challenges.

With human labour, we might eventually restore the dzong, and perhaps give it a far grander appearance than the structure that was until today, but to the eyes that have dwelt on the past, as had put George Eliot in her classic novel, Mill on the Floss, there is no thorough repair.

P.S. at the scene, it was reported that the fire trucks didn't function and the one that did were out of water. Is it just human failure or is it a bad omen upon the Bhutanese?