Understand
The main bazaar in the village is one long tree lined street, giving the village an appearance more similar to an Indian hill station than a traditional Bhutanese settlement. The entrance to the village is dominated by army barracks of the Royal Bhutan Army, while on the hill beyond the town is a technical college, a large hospital and Deothang Middle Secondary School. Due to the large population of army families and students, the village is relatively prosperous and enjoys a more pleasant climate than Sandrup Jongkhar 18 kilometers down the mountain on the plains. On a hill overlooking the village is the Chyoki Gyatso Institute of Buddhist Studies - a college in the Nyingma tradition of Buddhism founded by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche (http://www.siddharthasint...) - the famous director of the movies 'The Cup' and Travellers and Magicians (http://www.travellersandm...).
During the Duar War 1864-65, the town, which was known at the time as Dewangiri, was taken by the British and a small garrison was based there. The Bhutanese regained control in 1865.
