In 1639, Tibetan forces invaded Bhutan in pursuit of a sacred relic — the Rangjung Kharsarpani — which Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal had brought with him when he fled Tibet to found unified Bhutan. The invaders besieged Punakha Dzong itself, hiding and observing from Jili Gang, a hill above the Punakha cremation ground, waiting for an opportunity to strike. With no standing army at his disposal, the Zhabdrung called on men from the eight great village blocks, known as Wang Tshochenye, to defend the dzong. What followed was not simply a battle, but a masterclass in deception that has been re-enacted in the dzong’s courtyard every year since.

Knowing the Tibetans would not withdraw without the relic, the Zhabdrung staged a fake ceremony — having the sacred Rangjung Kharsarpani appear to be lost in the Mo Chhu river, thrown in as oranges symbolising the relic, while monks in red caps performed elaborate rites on the riverbank. Believing the prize they sought was now unrecoverable, the Tibetan forces withdrew. The invasion failed again in 1644, and Bhutan’s independence as a unified kingdom was secured. The Punakha Drubchen — also called Punakha Dromche — has commemorated this victory ever since, and remains one of the oldest and most historically grounded festivals anywhere in the country.

The warriors who perform the re-enactment, called Pazaps, dress in red and black combat attire with yellow silk skirts, coloured ribbons, and white, blue, and red felt boots, led by eight generals known as Magpon. Only residents of the Wang Tshochenye villages are eligible to take on this role — meaning the men marching through Punakha Dzong’s courtyard each February are not actors hired for the occasion, but descendants of the same communities whose ancestors actually fought in 1639.