of traditional construction with a free span of 55 meters which was completed in 2008 with the help from the Germans. Ritsha Village Punakha valley is famous in Bhutan for rice farming. Both red and white rice are grown along the river valley of Pho and Mo Chu, two of the most prominent rivers in Bhutan. Ritsha (meaning at the base of a hill) is a typical village in Punakha. The village houses are made of pounded mud with stone foundations. Each house is only two stories high. Surrounding the houses are the gardens and the rice fields. The gardens also usually have fruit-bearing plants like oranges and papaya among the organic vegetables. The village is 1 km away from Punakha-Gasa high-way and currently, the villagers are engaged in constructing the 1 km farm road. In recent years, the farming work is mechanized and power-tillers instead of bullocks are used to plough the fields and villagers have become relatively prosperous. This village is often called the ‘rice bowl’ of Bhutan due to abundance of red and white rice. See also Dzong architecture Driglam Namzha Ngawang Namgyal References External links Inside information about Punakha Dzong Pictures of Punakha Dzong on Flickr Photo gallery of Punakha Dzong (Nov 2005) Photos of Punakha Dzong Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal at the Dharma Dictionary Punakha Places to visit Populated places in Bhutan Punakha District Former national capitals