Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten
Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Choeten
A four-storey stupa on a hilltop in the Punakha Valley, reached by a 45-minute walk through rice paddies, with views over the Mo Chhu valley from the top.
Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Choeten was funded by the Royal Grandmother Ashi Kesang Yangdon Wangchuck and completed in 1999 to protect the kingdom and all living beings. The stupa has four storeys and a distinctive design. Inside it enshrines many images of wrathful protector deities and fine murals. Visitors can climb inside to the rooftop terrace and look out over the Mo Chhu (Mother River) valley, its terraced fields and distant mountains. To get there, leave the road and cross a suspension bridge, then walk for about 45 minutes uphill through rice paddies, which show classic Punakha farmland scenery. Getting there: about 20 minutes by car north of Punakha Dzong. Note: summer is hot, so bring water and a sun hat, and photography is not allowed inside the temple.
Opening hours
About 09:00–17:00 (check on site)
Nearby sights
- Punakha Suspension Bridge
- Punakha Dzong
- Chimi Lhakhang
- Dochula Pass
- Cheri Monastery (Chagri Dorjeden)
- Wangdue Phodrang Dzong
- Tango Monastery
- Tashichho Dzong