Phuntsholing
Phuentsholing
ཕུན་ཚོགས་གླིང་ Phuentsholing | |
|---|---|
 Phuntsholing, Bhutan | |
  Phuentsholing Location in Bhutan | |
| Coordinates:26°51′0″N89°23′0″E/ 26.85000°N 89.38333°E | |
| Country |  Bhutan |
| Dzongkhag | Chukha District |
| Gewog | Phuentsholing,Sampheling |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15.6 km2(6.0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 293 m (961 ft) |
| Population (2017) | |
| • Total | 27,658 |
| Time zone | UTC+6(BTT) |
| Website | pcc.bt |
Phuntsholing,also spelled asPhuentsholing(Dzongkha:ཕུན་ཚོགས་གླིང་), is aborder townin southernBhutanand is theadministrative seatofChukha District.[1][2]The town occupies parts of bothPhuentsholing GewogandSampheling Gewog.[3]
Phuentsholing adjoins theIndiantown ofJaigaon,and cross-border trade has resulted in a thriving local economy. The town previously hosted the headquarters of the Bank of Bhutan before they were shifted toThimphu.In 2017, Phuentsholing had a population of 27,658.[4]
History
[edit]On 5 April 1964, reformistPrime MinisterJigme Dorjiwas assassinated in Phuntsholing by monarchist cadres as the king lay ill in Switzerland. TheDorji familywas subsequently put under close watch.[5]It was 1958 when the first one-storeyed cottage was constructed to house a shop. The latePrime Minister,Jigme Dorjiinformed Phuentsholing residents that concrete houses could be constructed. Tashi group of companies constructed the first concrete house, followed by Tibetans and Indians. Some of the structures that exist to this day are the buildings housing Bhutan Enterprise, Jatan Prasad Lal Chand Prasad shop and a beauty parlour near Zantdopelri lhakhang. After the announcement, 18 shops were built around Zangdopelri area. The Zangdopelri area was a bus terminal, and on Saturday a market would be assembled. Apart from the cottages, there were several huts and Phuentsholing was beginning to grow.[6]
Geography
[edit]Climate
[edit]Phuntsholing has a sultrytropical monsoon climate,strongly influenced by the South Asianmonsoon.It has an average annual precipitation of 3,953 millimetres (155.6 in). Summers are long, muggy and very rainy, while winters are short, very mild and dry. This climate is described by theKöppen climate classificationasAm.On 27 August 1997, Phuntsholing recorded the highest temperature ever in Bhutan, at 40 °C (104 °F).[7]
| Climate data for Phuntsholing (1996–2017) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33.0 (91.4) |
33.8 (92.8) |
38.0 (100.4) |
37.0 (98.6) |
39.0 (102.2) |
38.0 (100.4) |
39.0 (102.2) |
40.0 (104.0) |
39.0 (102.2) |
38.0 (100.4) |
36.9 (98.4) |
35.0 (95.0) |
40.0 (104.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.9 (75.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
29.8 (85.6) |
31.1 (88.0) |
32.3 (90.1) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.9 (89.4) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.2 (88.2) |
28.7 (83.7) |
25.4 (77.7) |
29.8 (85.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.6 (65.5) |
21.5 (70.7) |
24.2 (75.6) |
25.6 (78.1) |
27.0 (80.6) |
27.7 (81.9) |
27.8 (82.0) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.4 (81.3) |
26.2 (79.2) |
23.3 (73.9) |
20.2 (68.4) |
24.8 (76.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.4 (56.1) |
16.3 (61.3) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.1 (68.2) |
21.7 (71.1) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.1 (73.6) |
21.1 (70.0) |
17.9 (64.2) |
15.0 (59.0) |
19.8 (67.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.0 (41.0) |
9.0 (48.2) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.3 (57.7) |
15.1 (59.2) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.0 (62.6) |
19.0 (66.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
14.0 (57.2) |
10.0 (50.0) |
7.5 (45.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 17.3 (0.68) |
31.1 (1.22) |
80.2 (3.16) |
216.5 (8.52) |
380.3 (14.97) |
807.2 (31.78) |
962.6 (37.90) |
779.1 (30.67) |
492.6 (19.39) |
162.9 (6.41) |
13.2 (0.52) |
10.4 (0.41) |
3,953.4 (155.63) |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 72.4 | 71.3 | 70.0 | 74.7 | 80.1 | 83.8 | 88.5 | 87.1 | 84.4 | 75.6 | 70.7 | 72.4 | 77.6 |
| Source: National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology[8] | |||||||||||||
Architecture and culture
[edit]The India-Bhutan border separates two different urban areas.Jaigaonacross the border is larger, bustling and loud, similar to many otherWest Bengalcentres of commerce, albeit with many Bhutanese shoppers. Phuntsholing is uniquely more urban than other Bhutanese towns as it is the Bhutan financial, industrial and trading capital. It is more orderly than its neighbour.[citation needed]
Economy
[edit]The majority of goods traded into Bhutan transit through Phuntsholing, making the town the gateway to Bhutan for trade with India. The border with China is closed.
Indian border crossing
[edit]
The border is separated by a long wall with a single Bhutanese gate. Locals can sometimes even cross without being asked for papers. Tourists from India, Bangladesh and Maldives do not need visa to enter Bhutan but have to show proof of identity such as a passport or voter ID card and apply for a permit at Phuntsholing to enter Bhutan. Other foreigners need a visa presented by a hired registered tour guide. The entry gate into the town is manned by theSashastra Seema BalandBhutanese Armyguards. The terrain inclines soon after the gate.
Transportation
[edit]
The town does not have airport facilities or a railway butIndian Railwayshas railway stations nearby. A 20 km (12 mi) railway track has been planned from the nearest railway stone Hashimarain North Bengal to Phuntsholing.
Siliguriis the nearest large city in India.New JalpaiguriandNew Alipurduarare the nearest large railway junctions. Buses are available from the towns in North Bengal. Buses are operated by both Indian based companies and Bhutanese government. Once at Phuntsholing, theLateral Roadgives travelers access to the rest of Bhutan.
From almost anywhere in the city, one can see the road toThimphusnaking up the hillside, and in the evening it is easy to see the headlights of distant vehicles heading towards the capital. Opposite the big ground PSA is the road that connects the rest of the cities of Bhutan. TheLateral Road,Bhutan's main highway, begins in Phuntsholing and winds some 636 kilometres (395 mi)[9]toTrashigangin the east.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Pelden, Sonam (2010-05-07)."Cabinet Approves Thromdes".Bhutan Observeronline. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-01-20.Retrieved2011-07-30.
- ^Dorji, Kezang (2010-11-26)."LG Elections Finalized".Bhutan Observeronline. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-04-03.Retrieved2011-07-30.
- ^"Chiwogs in Chukha"(PDF).Election Commission,Government of Bhutan.2011. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2011-10-02.Retrieved2011-07-28.
- ^"Bhutan: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population".World Gazetteer.Retrieved2008-07-11.[dead link]
- ^Ram Rahul (1997).Royal Bhutan: a political history.Vikas.pp. 94–95.ISBN81-259-0232-5.
- ^"Becoming the Gateway to Bhutan | KuenselOnline".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-07-24.
- ^"The heat has got to the Himalayas".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-04-02.
- ^"Climate Data Book of Bhutan, 2018"(PDF).National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology.RetrievedJuly 13,2021.
- ^"Directions from Phuentsholing to Trashigang".Google Maps.Retrieved2021-07-20.
26°51′N89°23′E/ 26.850°N 89.383°E
External links
[edit]
Phuentsholingtravel guide from Wikivoyage- 'Himalayas' Sentry', Travelogue in The Indian Express, 21-09-08, by Arjun Razdan
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