Kyichu Lhakhang

Bhutan Tours - Kyichu Lhakhang

This lhakhang (temple) is one of the two oldest and most sacred shrines in Bhutan (the other is Jambey Lhakhang in Bumthang).  The temple was built in the 7th century by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, and contains one of the Paro Valley's greatest treasures, an original 7th century statue of the Buddha which attracts thousands of pilgrims each year.  In 1968 the Queen Mother of Bhutan arranged for a second temple  - the Guru Lhakhang - to be built alongside the the first one, in the same style.  This newer temple contains a 5 metre high statue of Guru Rinpoche.