Gangteng Monastery

About this place

Gangteng Monastery, also known as Gangtey Gonpa, is a Buddhist monastery on a hill above the Phobjikha Valley in central Bhutan and the main seat of the Pema Lingpa tradition. A small village surrounds it, and its timber windows look over a broad glacial valley. Visitors usually combine it with the valley, especially in winter when black-necked cranes arrive to roost. The monastery's story reaches back to the early 17th century and to prophecies attributed to Pema Lingpa in the late 15th century. It is one of the two main centres of the Nyingma school in the country, and a monastic college stands above the village. A popular tale says the cranes circle it three times on arrival and three times on leaving for Tibet, a lovely local story. You see a large white building with stepped roofs, carved timber balconies in red and gold and decorated windows filling the front. Lower buildings and stone walls surround the courtyard, and at the edge the land falls away to the valley meadows at about 3,000 m. Clouds pass close here, constantly changing the light. It is about 31 km in a straight line from Punakha, and its short road branches from the Trongsa road at Nobding. Bring warm clothes, as it is cold even in spring. Cover your shoulders and knees, take off your hat in the courtyards and do not take photos inside the halls. Foreign visitors also pay a Sustainable Development Fee of about 100 US dollars a night, and entry is usually arranged through a company with a licensed guide.