Kurjey Lhakhang

Kurjey Lhakhang stands on the floor of the Chamkhar Chhu valley in Bumthang, and it is one of the holiest places in Bhutan. The name says why: kur is body, jey is imprint. Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) is said to have meditated in a cave here in the 8th century and left the impression of his body in the rock, and the oldest of the three temples is built around that rock.

Three temples, three centuries

The complex reads as a timeline from right to left:

• the oldest temple, built in 1652 by Chogyal Minjur Tempa, enclosing the body-imprint cave;
• the second, raised in 1900 by Ugyen Wangchuck, then Trongsa Penlop and soon to be the first King;
• the third, added in 1984 at the initiative of the Royal Grandmother, Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck.

The mortal remains of Bhutan's first three Kings are enshrined here, which makes Kurjey a national as well as a religious site. A wall of 108 chortens encloses the grounds, and a large cypress beside the complex is said to have grown from Guru Rinpoche's walking staff.

Visiting

Forty-five minutes to an hour. It is a short drive from Jakar and pairs naturally with Jambay Lhakhang a little way down the valley. The Kurjey tshechu is held in the grounds in early summer.