Tamshing Lhakhang — founded in 1501 by the great Nyingma terton Pema Lingpa.

Frequently asked

Who was Pema Lingpa?

Pema Lingpa (1450–1521) was a Bumthang-born farmer-yogin who became one of the five sovereign tertons of the Nyingma tradition — the great revealers of hidden teachings (terma) concealed by Padmasambhava in the 8th century. He founded Tamshing Lhakhang in 1501 as his principal seat. The Royal Family of Bhutan traces ancestry through his descendants.

Are the murals really from the 15th century?

Yes — the principal chapel's murals were painted by Pema Lingpa himself in the early 16th century. The murals have been maintained continuously by the monastic line and have not been substantially over-painted in their 500-year history. They are among the most-important surviving examples of early Bhutanese Buddhist art.

What is the chain-mail vest?

A heavy steel vest Pema Lingpa is held to have fashioned with his own hands. The vest is brought out once a year, during the Tamshing Phala Choepa festival, to be passed over the heads of the assembled community for blessing. The Bhutanese tradition holds that anyone who can walk three full circumambulations of the monastery carrying the vest receives substantial spiritual merit.

How does Tamshing differ from the other Bumthang sites?

Jambay Lhakhang (founded 659 CE) and Kurjey Lhakhang (built around an 8th-century Guru Rinpoche cave) sit at the older, founding-era religious layer of the Bumthang landscape. Tamshing Lhakhang is the principal expression of the 15th-16th century terton lineage — distinctively Bhutanese rather than imported from Tibet. All three should be combined in a thorough Bumthang circuit.

Where do I stay in Bumthang?

Amankora Bumthang (in the Choekhor valley, 10 minutes from Tamshing), Six Senses Bumthang, Wangdicholing Resort, and Jakar Village Lodge. Lodges are fewer than in Paro or Thimphu; book 6+ months in advance for the autumn festival window.