Zangtopelri Lhakhang

Bhutan

A three-storey model of Guru Rinpoche's celestial palace, sitting quietly in a town square barely five minutes from the Indian border.

Description

Zangtopelri Lhakhang Phuentsholing is built as a representation of Guru Rinpoche's heavenly abode, the Copper-Coloured Mountain, rendered floor by floor in wood and paint. Circle the ground level and you'll pass the eight manifestations of Guru Rinpoche watching from the walls; climb higher and the imagery shifts to the eight Bodhisattvas, then to Buddha Amitabha at the top. Downstairs, a bank of prayer wheels turns under the hands of elderly residents making their morning kora. Pigeons lift and settle across the courtyard, butter lamps burn behind glass, and the traffic of the border town seems to drop away entirely. Of all the temples in Phuentsholing, this is the one that fills daily with locals rather than visitors.

Best time to visit

October to March; arrive early morning or around dusk, when residents come to circumambulate and butter lamps are lit.

Traveller tip

Walk clockwise around the temple and the prayer wheels, and turn each wheel with your right hand. Remove your shoes and hat before going inside, keep shoulders and knees covered, and put the camera away in the shrine rooms — photography indoors is generally not permitted. Sit for ten minutes on the courtyard steps once you've done a circuit; morning is when the Zangdopelri Temple Bhutan grounds are at their most alive.

For entry rules, permits and the Sustainable Development Fee, check the official Bhutan tourism portal: bhutan.travel

An easy first stop after crossing the border, and a natural inclusion in BreakBag Holidays' customised Bhutan tour packages before the drive up to Thimphu.

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