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BUMTHANG |
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BUMTHANG (8530 ft – 13,125 ft.) |
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This fascinating valley is the religious heartland of the
nation and home to some of the oldest Buddhist temples and
monasteries. Here tales of Guru Rimpochee and his
re-incarnates known as Lingpas still linger around that have
now become sacred ground. |
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WHAT TO SEE IN BUMTHANG: |
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JAMBEY LHAKHANG
This monastery was built
in the 7th century by a Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo
believed to be the re-incarnation of the Buddha of
compassion. It is one of the 108 monasteries built by him to
subdue evil spirits in the Himalayan region. |
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KURJEY LHAKHANG
Located above Jambey Lhakhang, the Kurjey Lhakhang consists of three
temples. The one on the right was built in 1652 on the rock
face where the Guru meditated in the 8th Century. Second
temple was built on the site of a cave containing a rock
with the imprint of the Guru’s body and is therefore
considered the most holy land. The third temple was recently
built by the present Royal Queen mother. These temples are
surrounded by 108 Chortens wall, symbolic of each joint of
the human body. |
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TAMSHING LHAKHANG
Located
opposite Kurje Lhakhang on the other side of the river, this
temple was founded in 1501 by Terton Pema Lingpa, the
re-incarnation of Guru Rimpochee. The monastery has very
interesting religious paintings like 1000 Buddhas and 21
Tantras (female form of the Bodhisattva). The temple was
restored at the end of the 19th Century. |
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JAKAR DZONG
Founded by the great
grandfather of Shabdrung, the dzong was initially built as a
monastery in 1549. It was upgraded after Shabdrung had
firmly established his power in 1646. The Dzong is now used
as the administrative center for the Bumthang valley. |
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