Dumtseg Lhakhang

Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang

Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang, also known as Dungtse Lhakhang, is a distinctive Buddhist temple located in western Bhutan. Its significance lies in its unusual architectural form, being built in the shape of a chorten, a rare design for temples in the region. The temple is situated on a prominent hill overlooking the Paro and Dopshari valleys, across the bridge from Paro town.

History and Legend

The temple was constructed in 1421 by the eminent Tibetan lama Thangtong Gyalpo, also known as Chagzampa, who is celebrated for his role in building numerous iron bridges across Bhutan. The chorten form was chosen to symbolically immobilize demons and assert the victory of Buddhism. Local legends offer differing accounts of its foundation, with one suggesting it was built to pacify a serpentine force, while another claims it was erected on the head of a demoness. More pragmatically, Bhutanese sources state it was built to counteract negative spirits associated with the hill's topography.

In 1841, the temple underwent restoration by the 25th Je Khenpo, Sherab Gyeltsen, with the support of local villagers, whose names were subsequently carved onto the wooden columns of the ground floor.

Architecture and Iconography

Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang is conceived as a mandala, with its three floors representing the different levels of initiation: hell, earth, and heaven. The temple is crowned with a white tower, a distinctive feature of its chorten shape. Access to the various levels involves navigating steep ladders. The interior is adorned with a vast and significant collection of Buddhist paintings and iconography, considered to rival that of many Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.

The ground floor is dedicated to the Five Buddhas of Meditation, along with forms of Avalokiteshvara, Guru Rinpoche, and Thangtong Gyelpo. The second floor features depictions of Mahakala on the exterior wall, accompanied by a hundred peaceful and wrathful deities, and the Bardo, the intermediate state between death and rebirth, on the interior wall. The third floor is dedicated to Tantric deities, including Guhyasamaja, Vajrabhairava, Cakrasamvara, Hevajra, Kalacakra, Vajravarahi, Hayagriva, and Mahamaya, representing the five-deity mandala of the Shangpa school. The inner walls display portraits of 84 Indian and Tibetan saints, including prominent figures like Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa.

To the east of Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang stands the older Jangtsa Palnang Lhakhang, believed to be one of the 108 border-taming temples established in the 7th century by Emperor Songtsen Gampo.