a city in Bhutan. Punakha is situated in the Himalayas at an elevation greater than 1,575 m, where the Pho Chu and Mo Chu rivers form the Sankosh River. The city is the administrative center of the province of the same name. It formerly was the winter residence of the rulers of Bhutan. The population, numbering about 20,000 and consisting mainly of monks, increases significantly in the winter. Punakha originated as a fortress-monastery (dzong). The monks are involved in book printing and the production of paper, rugs, and religious objects but not to the extent that they formerly were. [21665–2]