In most of the traditional Bhutanese houses, one would find an enclosed courtyard. All the domestic animals such as cows, horses, pigs and, – chickens, etc.are kept in the courtyard to protect them from wild animals at night.
Many activities such as roasting of rice to make zao,brewing local drink-Ara, grinding of grain using a hand mill or quern, cutting and cooking fodder for the animals and heating water for washing were also done in the courtyard.
In the corner of the courtyard farming equipment, such as the plough, yoke, ox-drawn wooden plough, thrasher[korbji], rolled bamboo mat for drying grain and vegetables, etc, are kept. There are two kinds of plough share, one made of wood and another made of iron. The iron ploughshare is reminiscent of the advent of iron mining and smelting which started from the 14th century, after the great saint ThangthongGyelpo [1361 AD-1475 AD] the master iron chain bridge builder, who introduced the process of iron mining and smelting in Bhutan.
