Bhutan House
| Bhutan House | |
|---|---|
 Location within West Bengal, India
|
|
| General information | |
| Type | Dzong/Palace |
| Location | Kalimpong, West Bengal, India |
| Coordinates | 27°04′41″N 88°29′18″E / 27.078184°N 88.488377°ECoordinates: 27°04′41″N 88°29′18″E / 27.078184°N 88.488377°E |
| Current tenants | Queen Mother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck |
| Completed | ca. 1912 |
| Owner | Dorji family |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 12+ |
| References | |
Bhutan House is an estate located in Kalimpong, West Bengal, India, owned by the Dorji family of Bhutan. The site is the traditional administrative Dzong for southern Bhutan, and also functioned as the administrative center for the whole of western Bhutan during the modern kingdom's early years of consolidation. It represented the relationship between Bhutan and British India, and is a modern symbol of Bhutan–India relations.
It is the home of Queen Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck, the grandmother of the current Bhutanese king, Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck.
Located in Kalimpong, the estate is on Rishi Road, leaving town, between the 10th and 12th miles, just before its fork. The property has fencing and a driveway toward the stone double-storied Victorian-style complex. The landscaped lawns feature a small stupa containing the ashes of Ayi Thubten Wongmo and a white chorten commemorating the late Rani Chuni. Bhutan House overlooks the Relli River below a deep valley.
The interior is of dark wood. The first floor contains a sitting room for guests and the dining room. Upstairs are the bedrooms and family altar room. The room of the late Rani Chuni is kept as originally furnished with Bhutanese chodems (carved tables), woven materials, books, and other artifacts.
In total, the main house contains over a dozen rooms, including a long hall on each floor. The detached kitchen is also two-storied, connected to the main structure by a small bridge. A lhakhang (Buddhist temple) is also located on the premises.
The land that was to become Bhutan House was ceded from Bhutan to British India in 1865 at the conclusion the Bhutan War and as a condition of the Treaty of Sinchula. The land became a subdivision of Darjeeling in 1916, and became part of a hill station.
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