Temple · Buddhist
Lhakhang Karpo
Traditionally attributed to Songtsen Gampo·Traditionally 7th century CE·Haa
The White Temple of Haa, one of a pair said to mark where two pigeons came to rest.
Dedicated to
Traditionally attributed to Songtsen Gampo
Period
Traditionally 7th century CE
Neighborhood
Uesu gewog, lower Haa valley
Lhakhang Karpo — the White Temple — stands below the road a few kilometres down the Haa valley, backed by a wooded ridge. It is the larger of the pair that gives the valley its identity, and by tradition the older layer of building in Haa.
The two pigeons
The story attaches both temples to the 7th-century Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo. Wanting to know where to build, he released two pigeons: the white one settled here, and the black one on the slope above, where Lhakhang Nagpo now stands. The valley's Dzongkha name, Haa, is often glossed in connection with that account.
What to see
The temple's painted timber facade and gilded cornice face an enclosed courtyard, with monks' quarters and a covered gallery along one side, and there is a stepped paved approach between two gatehouses. It is a working temple with a resident monastic community rather than a museum, and it feels like one.
Visiting
Twenty to thirty minutes here, and it is always seen with Lhakhang Nagpo, a short walk uphill. Coming from Paro, the drive over Chele La is the other half of the day.
Folio III
Nearby Sacred Sites
Places within a short walk that help turn this stop into a small sacred cluster.
Coda
Continue the Pilgrimage
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