Bumthang
Bhutan
(Bhutan)
Bumthang comprises four smaller valleys namely Tang, Ura, Choekhor and Chumey, and is a deeply spiritual region. The place has a charming individualism and is full of religious legend. It is also home to the great Buddhist teacher Pema Linga to whose descendants the present dynasty traces its origin. There are several places of interest in Bumthang. The Jambay Lhakhang monastery was built in the 7th century by Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo and is one of the 108 monasteries built by him to subdue evil spirits in the Himalayan region. The Kurje Lhakhang consists of three temples. The first one was built in 1652 on the rack face where Guru meditated in the 8th century, the second temple is built at the site of a cave containing a rock with the imprint of Guru's body and is regarded as the holiest, and the third temple was built in the 1990s by Ashi Kesang, the Queen Mother. These three temples are surrounded by a 108 chorten wall.