Thangbi Mewang
- Kind
- Sacred observance
- Venue
- Thangbi Lhakhang
- District
- Bumthang
- Region
- Central Bhutan
Where it happens
Thangbi Lhakhang is a village temple, not a dzong (fortress). It stands in the Choekhor valley, which is usually described as the central one of Bumthang’s four valleys (Choekhor, Chumey, Tang and Ura).
History
The fourth Zhamar Rinpoche of the Karma Kagyu school came to Bumthang from Tibet and founded Thangbi Lhakhang in 1470. The temple and its festival are often described as part of the religious landscape of Bumthang that Pema Lingpa (1450–1521) shaped.
Rituals
The festival is often described as defined by a fire rite rather than by the mask dances of a tshechu (a festival honouring Guru Rinpoche). Masked cham (sacred dances) are usually described as accompanying that rite.
Being there
Thangbi is remote. The temple sits off the motor road, and you reach it from Jakar by a gentle hike across a suspension bridge.