- Is Kyichu Lhakhang really from the 7th century?
- Yes — the lhakhang is held by Tibetan and Bhutanese tradition to have been founded by Songtsen Gampo in 659 CE, as one of 108 temples built across the Himalaya to pin the limbs of a giant ogress. It is the oldest continuously-active temple in Bhutan, predating the broader spread of Vajrayana Buddhism by approximately a century. Archaeological work has confirmed Songtsen Gampo-era foundations.
- What are the 108 temples?
- The Tibetan tradition holds that Songtsen Gampo recognised the Himalayan landscape as the form of a giant ogress and commissioned 108 temples to subdue her. Two of the 108 lie in present-day Bhutan: Kyichu Lhakhang (pinning the left foot) and Jambay Lhakhang in Bumthang (pinning the left knee). The others lie across Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- What is the Jowo image?
- The Jowo Sakyamuni image installed in the original 7th-century temple is held by tradition to be one of three statues made from the same casting as the great Jowo Buddha of Lhasa (the most-revered Buddhist image in the Tibetan tradition). The Kyichu Jowo remains the principal devotional image of the lhakhang.
- Why are there two temples on the site?
- The original 7th-century temple is the smaller, eastern temple. The larger, western temple — the Guru Lhakhang — was commissioned in 1968 by Her Majesty Royal Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck and dedicated to Guru Rinpoche. The two temples together form the present-day complex, with the orange trees between them.
- Should I combine Kyichu with anything else?
- Yes — Kyichu Lhakhang, the Tiger's Nest trailhead, and Drukgyel Dzong are all in the upper Paro valley and combine naturally as a single-day itinerary. Most visitors do the Tiger's Nest hike in the morning, descend for lunch, and visit Kyichu and Drukgyel in the afternoon.
