What is the body imprint?

Guru Rinpoche meditated in the cliff cave at Kurjey in the 8th century, subduing the demon afflicting the king Sindhu Raja. When he left the cave, his body imprint (kur jey) was impressed in the rock as a sign of his transformation of the site. The imprint remains visible to this day inside the principal eastern chapel.

Why are there three temples?

Three temples built across three centuries. The eastern (1652) contains the body-imprint cave. The middle (1900) was built by the first King and contains a large Guru Rinpoche image. The western (1990) was built under Royal Grandmother patronage and houses 108 large Guru Rinpoche images. The complex represents continuous religious patronage of the Bumthang valleys.

Can I see the cypress tree?

Yes — the cypress tree behind the eastern temple is the largest in Bhutan and is held to have grown from Guru Rinpoche's walking-stick. It is visible from the meadow and from the path approaching the eastern temple. Photography is permitted.

Should I combine Kurjey with other Bumthang sights?

Yes — Kurjey Lhakhang, Jambay Lhakhang (Bhutan's oldest temple), Tamshing Lhakhang (Pema Lingpa's monastery), Jakar Dzong, and Mebar Tsho (Pema Lingpa's burning lake) form the standard Bumthang circuit. Most visitors plan 2–3 days in Bumthang to do the circuit comfortably.

How do I get to Bumthang?

Approximately 9 hours by road from Paro via Thimphu, Punakha, and Trongsa — typically broken across two driving days. There is also a domestic Drukair flight from Paro to Bumthang's Bathpalathang airport (operating in clear-weather windows).

Kurjey Lhakhang with the meadow of 108 chortens and the cypress tree, Bumthang

The body-imprint of Guru Rinpoche

Kurjey Lhakhang — the cliff cave bearing Guru Rinpoche's body imprint, in the Choekhor valley of Bumthang.

Kurjey Lhakhang sits in the Choekhor valley of Bumthang at 2,600 metres elevation. The temple complex grew around a cave on the cliff face that Guru Rinpoche is held to have entered in the 8th century, leaving his body imprint (kur jey) on the rock — the impression is still visible inside the principal chapel and remains one of the most-revered devotional sites in the Bhutanese Buddhist tradition.

Location: Choekhor valley, Bumthang, Bumthang
Elevation: 2,600 m
Founded: 1652
Founder: Mingyur Tenpa (first temple, 1652); subsequent additions by Pema Lingpa and later Wangchuck-era patrons
Also known as: Kurjey Goemba · Kurje Lhakhang

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The body imprint and the founding story

In the 8th century, Guru Rinpoche was invited to Bumthang by Sindhu Raja, the king of the Bumthang valleys, to cure a serious illness brought on by the loss of the king's life-deity. Guru Rinpoche came, meditated in the cliff cave for an extended retreat, subdued the demon afflicting the king (a deity called Shelging Karpo whom he turned to the dharma), and left the cave with his body imprint (kur jey) impressed in the rock as a sign. The imprint remains visible to this day inside the principal chapel — one of the most-revered physical traces of Guru Rinpoche anywhere in the Himalaya. The original 8th-century cave was sealed and consecrated; the surrounding temple complex grew over the subsequent centuries.

The three temples — built across the centuries

The Kurjey Lhakhang complex consists of three temples built across three centuries. The eastern temple (the smallest and oldest) was built in 1652 by Mingyur Tenpa around the body-imprint cave; it contains the imprint itself and is the principal pilgrimage destination. The middle temple was built in 1900 by His Majesty Druk Gyalpo Ugyen Wangchuck (the first King); it contains a large image of Guru Rinpoche. The western temple — the largest of the three — was built in 1990 under the patronage of Her Majesty Royal Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck; it houses 108 large images of Guru Rinpoche. The three temples together represent the layered religious patronage of the Bumthang valleys across the modern era.

The 108 chortens and the meadow

The temple complex is approached across a broad meadow ringed by 108 small chortens — built in memory of Her Majesty Royal Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck. The meadow is where the Kurjey Tshechu is held in mid-June (the 8th–10th day of the 5th Bhutanese lunar month) — a relatively small festival but distinctive for being held in the open meadow rather than in a dzong courtyard. The cypress tree behind the eastern temple, the largest in Bhutan, is held to have grown from Guru Rinpoche's walking-stick — planted in the soil at the end of his meditation and growing into the present-day tree.

Visiting

Getting there
Kurjey Lhakhang is 10 minutes by road from Jakar (the principal Bumthang town), in the Choekhor valley. The lhakhang is part of the standard Bumthang circuit alongside Jambay Lhakhang, Tamshing Lhakhang, and Jakar Dzong. The approach across the meadow ringed by 108 chortens gives the principal photographic register.
Opening hours
The complex is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The three temples are open to international visitors with a guide. The principal interior of interest is the eastern temple's body-imprint cave; the other temples have larger Guru Rinpoche images but the imprint is the principal devotional focus. Allow 60–90 minutes for the complex.
Dress and protocol
Long trousers or skirts below the knee; shoulders covered. Hats and shoes removed inside all three temples. Photography is permitted in the meadow and on the exterior but prohibited inside the temple chapels. The body-imprint cave is held to be among the most-sacred sites in the country; the protocol tradition is reverent and the lighting inside is dim.
Best time to visit
Late September through October catches Bumthang at its autumn peak — the buckwheat fields turning red-pink, the meadow clear and bright, the surrounding pine forests deep green. June through August is monsoon-affected. Mid-June catches the Kurjey Tshechu (8th–10th day of the 5th lunar month) — a small intimate festival in the meadow.

Frequently asked

What is the body imprint?: Guru Rinpoche meditated in the cliff cave at Kurjey in the 8th century, subduing the demon afflicting the king Sindhu Raja. When he left the cave, his body imprint (kur jey) was impressed in the rock as a sign of his transformation of the site. The imprint remains visible to this day inside the principal eastern chapel.
Why are there three temples?: Three temples built across three centuries. The eastern (1652) contains the body-imprint cave. The middle (1900) was built by the first King and contains a large Guru Rinpoche image. The western (1990) was built under Royal Grandmother patronage and houses 108 large Guru Rinpoche images. The complex represents continuous religious patronage of the Bumthang valleys.
Can I see the cypress tree?: Yes — the cypress tree behind the eastern temple is the largest in Bhutan and is held to have grown from Guru Rinpoche's walking-stick. It is visible from the meadow and from the path approaching the eastern temple. Photography is permitted.
Should I combine Kurjey with other Bumthang sights?: Yes — Kurjey Lhakhang, Jambay Lhakhang (Bhutan's oldest temple), Tamshing Lhakhang (Pema Lingpa's monastery), Jakar Dzong, and Mebar Tsho (Pema Lingpa's burning lake) form the standard Bumthang circuit. Most visitors plan 2–3 days in Bumthang to do the circuit comfortably.
How do I get to Bumthang?: Approximately 9 hours by road from Paro via Thimphu, Punakha, and Trongsa — typically broken across two driving days. There is also a domestic Drukair flight from Paro to Bumthang's Bathpalathang airport (operating in clear-weather windows).

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Kurjey Lhakhang — the cliff cave bearing Guru Rinpoche's body imprint, in the Choekhor valley of Bumthang.

The body imprint and the founding story

The three temples — built across the centuries

The 108 chortens and the meadow

The body imprint and the founding story

The three temples — built across the centuries

The 108 chortens and the meadow

Getting there

Opening hours

Dress and protocol

Best time to visit

Begin when you're ready.

The body imprint and the founding story

The three temples — built across the centuries

The 108 chortens and the meadow

Getting there

Opening hours

Dress and protocol

Best time to visit

Begin when you're ready.