Lungchuzekha Goemba

Perched at an elevation of 3,000 meters above the acclaimed Dochula Pass, Lungchuzekha Goemba was built by Terton Drukdra Dorji and houses sacred statues like the self-spoken statue of Guru Rinpoche, Terton Drukdra Dorji and the statue of Lama Sonam Zangpo. In front of the Goemba stands a beautiful stupa built by Her Majesty Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck.

The 12th Je Khenpo (Chief Abbot), Lam Kunga Jamtsho, is credited with the birth of one of the most holy and solicited meditation centres in Bhutan, Trashigang Goemba. Trashigang Goemba is a perfect tourist destination not only for the spiritual richness this place exudes but also for the amazing flora and fauna. It can also be the perfect ending to a day hike from Thimphu.

A great Tibetan ruler and lama, or Buddhist teacher, named Songtsan Gampo supposedly started construction of the temple in the 7th century. According to local legend, two birds, one black and one white, emanated from his consciousness and flew from Tibet to this location. The white bird landed on the site of Karpo Lhakhang, hence “white temple.” Locals built Nagpo Lhakhang, the “black temple,” where the black bird landed.

The smoke-smudged walls of Drukgyel Dzong's four-story utse (central tower) still stand intact among the surrounding ruins. Located at the head of the Paro Valley, the once-magnificent Drukgyel Dzong was built in 1649 and stood along a major route into Tibet for three centuries until it burned to the ground in a 1951 fire. The dzong's name, which translates as “Bhutan's Victory,” commemorates a 1644 defeat of Tibetan forces in this region.