In this place in 1904 the British armed with machine guns attacked a group of Tibetans armed with swords, flintlocks and the blessings of the llamas against bullets. In 4 minutes, 800 Tibetans and 4 British lay dead. It was the beginning of a brief treaty with Britian and Tibet.

Today, the Dzong or fortress stands guard, empty above the old Tibetan village. Cows are tied to the houses in the small lanes, milked and dung collected to be dried for heat in winter.

The "Cultural Revolution" brought in the 60's by the chinese depleted the monasteries of much of the idols and treasures. Since '83 some rebuilding has been allowed, financed by distant Llamas in India.

For 500 years nothing changed in Tibet. Now, in small Tibetan enclaves, surrounded by bursting Chinese growth, life is the same as it was when this fort was built in the 1400's