In the 15th century local people offered the crag of Hungrel at Paro to Lama Drung Drung Gyal, a descendant of Pajo Drugom Zhigpo Drung Drung Gyal built a small temple there and later a five storied Dzong or fortress which was known as Hungrel Dzong.
In the 17th century, his descendants, the lords of Hungrel, offered this fortress to the Drukpa hierarch Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, in recognition of his religious and temporal authority. In 1644 the Shabdrung dismantled the existing Dzong and laid the foundations of a new Dzong.
In 1646 the Dzong was reconsecrated and established as the administrative and monastic centre of the western region and it became known as Rinpung Dzong.
Some scenes in the 1993 film Little Buddha were filmed in this Dzong
Built with stones instead of clay, the Dzong was named Rinpung, meaning “heaps of jewels”
All its treasures were destroyed by the fire in 1907.Only one thangka, known as Thongdel, was saved.
The Paro Dzong was rebuilt by the penlop dawa Penjor after the fire.
Housed within its walls is a collection of sacred masks and costumes.
Some date back several centuries; others were contributed by Dawa Penjor and his successor Penlop Tshering Penjor in recent times the dzong survived the 1897 earthquake
stairway leads down to the monastic quarter ,
which houses about 200 monks. The kunre, which functions as the monks’ classroom, is in the southeast corner (to the left).
Look under the vestibule for the mural of the ‘mystic spiral’, a uniquely Bhutanese variation on the mandala.
The large dukhang (prayer hall) opposite has lovely exterior murals depicting the life of Tibet’s poet-saint Milarepa.
The first day of the spring Paro tsechu is held in this courtyard, which fills to bursting point. The views from the far windows are superb.