The Sacred Serenity of Kurjey Lhakhang
Discover the serene beauty and rich spiritual heritage of Kurjey Lhakhang, a must-visit Buddhist temple in the heart of Bhutan.
Kurjey Lhakhang, located in the picturesque valley of Jakar, is one of Bhutan's most significant Buddhist temples, revered for its spiritual heritage and breathtaking architecture. The temple complex comprises three main temples, each adorned with intricate carvings and vibrant murals, which reflect the rich cultural tapestry of Bhutanese Buddhism. The site is dedicated to Guru Rinpoche, the revered figure credited with bringing Buddhism to Bhutan in the 8th century, and it is believed that many influential figures have been cremated here, marking it as a sacred space for both locals and visitors alike. As you approach the temple, you will be greeted by the serene ambiance of the surrounding landscape, characterized by lush green hills and the gentle flow of the river. The peaceful atmosphere invites contemplation and reflection, making it an ideal spot for meditation and spiritual connection. Visitors can explore the beautifully maintained grounds, where you’ll find prayer flags fluttering in the wind and local monks going about their daily rituals, adding to the authenticity of the experience. The temple is open daily from 8 AM to 5 PM, allowing ample opportunity to immerse yourself in its serene environment. Take time to appreciate the craftsmanship of the temple's architecture, with its distinctive Bhutanese style that integrates elements of nature into its design. Additionally, the site is surrounded by various hiking trails that offer stunning views of the valley, making Kurjey Lhakhang a perfect blend of cultural exploration and nature appreciation. Plan your visit to this sacred site, and experience the spiritual heart of Bhutan.
Local tips
- Visit early in the morning to enjoy quieter surroundings and witness the morning rituals of the monks.
- Wear comfortable shoes for exploring the temple grounds and nearby hiking trails.
- Be respectful of local customs; dress modestly and maintain silence in sacred areas.
- Bring a camera to capture the stunning architecture and beautiful natural surroundings.
- Take time to meditate or reflect in the peaceful environment; it adds to the experience.
A brief summary to Kurjey Lhakhang སྐུ་རྗེས་ལྷ་ཁང་།
- HPPJ+R4R, Jakar, BT
- Monday 8 am-5 pm
- Tuesday 8 am-5 pm
- Wednesday 8 am-5 pm
- Thursday 8 am-5 pm
- Friday 8 am-5 pm
- Saturday 8 am-5 pm
- Sunday 8 am-5 pm
Getting There
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Car
If you are traveling by car, start from the main town area of Chhukha. Head northeast on the main road towards Jakar. Continue driving for approximately 30 kilometers until you see signs directing you to Kurjey Lhakhang. The temple is located at the coordinates 27.5871106 latitude and 90.7302652 longitude. There is parking available near the temple.
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Public Transportation
To reach Kurjey Lhakhang via public transportation, first take a local bus from Chhukha to Jakar. Buses are available throughout the day, but it's advisable to check the local schedule for times. Upon arrival in Jakar, you can either walk or take a taxi to reach Kurjey Lhakhang. The temple is about 2 kilometers from the bus stop, and walking will take around 25 minutes. Taxis are available and should cost around 100-200 Ngultrum for the short distance.
Attractions Nearby to Kurjey Lhakhang སྐུ་རྗེས་ལྷ་ཁང་།
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Kurjee Zangdopelri
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Tamshing Lhakhang གཏམ་ཞིང་ལྷ་ཁང་།
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Könchogsum Lhakhang དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ལྷ་ཁང་།
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Jamphel Lhakhang བྱམས་་པ་ལྷ་ཁང་།
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Airport Viewpoint A
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Airport viewpoint B
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Thangbi Lhakhang ཐངས་བི་ལྷ་ཁང་།
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Chokhor Chorten
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Bumthang Brewery Red Panda Beer
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Bumthang Valley
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Jakar Dzong བྱ་དཀར་རྫོང་།
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Padtselling Monastery
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Jakar Nagtshang
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Jakar Lhakhang
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Chamkhar Bridge ལྕམ་མཁར་ཟམ་པ།
Landmarks nearby to Kurjey Lhakhang སྐུ་རྗེས་ལྷ་ཁང་།
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Do Zam
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Six Senses Bumthang
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Rinchenling Lodge རིན་ཆེན་གླིང་སྐྱིད་གནས།
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Valley Cafe
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Bumthang Domestic Airport བུམ་ཐང་ནང་འཁོད་གནམ་གྲུ་ཐང་།
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Wangdicholing mortuary
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Hotel Ugyen Ling ཨོ་རྒྱན་གླིང་ཟ་ཁང་།
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Amankora, Bumthang
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Mountain Resort
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Bumthang Swiss Cheese
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Swiss Guest House Bumthang, Kharsumphe
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Chudzong
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Phuntsho Guest House
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Jakar Village Lodge