Wall paintings
Among the country's oldest.
Christoher J. Fynn — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0
Tamshing Lhakhang is a Nyingma Buddhist monastery in Bumthang District, central Bhutan, directly linked to the Bhutanese saint Pema Lingpa (1450–1521). It has been on UNESCO's tentative list since 2012 and lies about 800 metres in a straight line from Kurjey Lhakhang. Pema Lingpa built it in 1501, and its wall paintings from that time, including his portrait, are among the earliest in the country. He died here in 1521, and his descendants took over its care. Today it is the seat of Sungtrul Rinpoche, home to more than 95 monks, and known for the Tamshing Phala Choepa festival. The temple is an old whitewashed building with wooden galleries and pillars and windows painted in faded colours, fronted by a stone courtyard and a small shrine with prayer wheels. Forested hills and valley fields surround it. The building is old and the ground uneven, so walk carefully. Wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees, walk clockwise around the temple, and take no photos inside the halls. Most visitors to Bhutan pay a Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per person per night, and a licensed guide is required at dzongs and major temples.
Among the country's oldest.
Old pillars.
A shrine with prayer wheels.
Bumthang District, central Bhutan
The saint Pema Lingpa, in 1501.
Kurjey Lhakhang, about 800 metres away.
