Bumthang Valley Spiritual Guide: Kurjey, Mebar Tsho & Sacred Trails

Bhutan's spiritual heartland — Kurjey Lhakhang, Jambay Lhakhang (the oldest temple), Tamshing Goemba, Mebar Tsho (Burning Lake), and Swiss cheese.

Bumthang District Overview

Bumthang district (2,600 m elevation) in central Bhutan is known as the country's spiritual heartland. It comprises four valleys: Choekhor Valley (main), Tang Valley, Ura Valley, and Chukha Valley. Bumthang is home to Bhutan's oldest and most sacred temples, monasteries, and the birthplace of Bhutanese religious culture.

Kurjey Lhakhang

One of Bhutan's holiest sites, Kurjey Lhakhang is a complex of three temples built into a rock face in Choekhor Valley. Guru Rinpoche is believed to have meditated in the body-shaped rock impression (kurjey = 'body impression') here in 746 CE. The annual Kurjey Tshechu festival is one of Bhutan's most sacred.

Jambay Lhakhang — The Oldest Temple

Jambay Lhakhang is one of Bhutan's 108 'Jowo' temples built by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in 659 CE to pin down a giant demoness. The temple houses a Jowo statue and a 7th-century image of Avalokiteshvara. The annual Jambay Lhakhang Drup festival (October/November) features the famous naked torch-lit Mewang (fire blessing) ceremony at midnight.

Mebar Tsho (Burning Lake)

Not actually a lake but a gorge in the Tang River, Mebar Tsho ('The Burning Lake') is a sacred treasure site where the saint Pema Lingpa is believed to have leapt into the water with a butter lamp and emerged without it being extinguished, his hands full of scriptures. Prayer flags and offerings cover the surrounding trees.

Swiss Bhutanese Cheese & Orchard Farm

The Swiss Farm in Bumthang produces Bhutan's unique hard mountain cheese (similar to Emmental) and a local Bumthang Red apple wine/cider. Visit the farm for dairy tours, apple orchards, and to sample local produce — a fascinating piece of 1970s Swiss development project history in the Himalayas.

Getting to Bumthang

By Air: Jakar (Bathpalathang) Airport has occasional small aircraft service. By Road: Thimphu to Bumthang is ~6 hours (240 km) via the Trongsa highway. Most Bumthang packages are 8–10 night Bhutan tours. Glen View Travels includes Bumthang in premium central Bhutan itineraries.