Tamshing Lhakhang
Highlights
- Founded by Pema Lingpa in 1501
- Murals from the early 1500s, among Bhutan's oldest
- Heavy chain-mail coat carried round the sanctum
Founded in 1501 by the treasure revealer Pema Lingpa, Tamshing has murals from the early 1500s that are among the oldest in Bhutan, and it is on the country's tentative list for World Heritage. Pilgrims try to carry a heavy chain-mail coat, said to be his work, around the inner sanctum.
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
More to see in Bumthang
Kurjey Lhakhang
Three temples built against the cliff where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated in the 8th century and left the print of his body in the rock. The oldest building dates from 1652, and the complex is the final resting place of Bhutan's first three kings.
Jambay Lhakhang
Said to be one of 108 temples the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo built in 659 to pin down a demoness, which makes it one of the oldest in Bhutan. Each October or November its courtyard holds the Jambay Lhakhang Drup, with a fire blessing and a midnight dance.
Jakar Dzong
The dzong on the ridge above Jakar grew from a monastery founded in 1549 by the Tibetan lama Ngagi Wangchuk. Its name is usually translated as "white bird", after a bird that settled on the ridge and marked the spot, and it looks out over the whole Chokhor valley.
Mebar Tsho
Mebar Tsho, the Burning Lake, is a deep pool in the Tang river gorge, about 30 minutes' drive from Jakar, where Pema Lingpa is said to have dived in holding a lit butter lamp and come back with treasure, the lamp still burning. The rocks are slippery and the current is strong, so stay back from the edge.
Ura valley
Bumthang's highest valley, a farming village at about 3,100 m, roughly 48 km from Jakar over the Shertang La pass. It is quieter than the Chokhor valley and best known for the Ura Yakchoe festival in April or May, when a sacred relic kept in the village is shown to the public.
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