| Name: | Lumdho Lhakhang |
|---|---|
| Identity: | Lhakhang |
| Level: | Registered Heritage Building |
| Category: | Heritage Building |
| Founder: | Phajo Drugom Zhigpo |
| Constructed(Year|Century): | 0 | 12 |
| No. of Floor | 2floor |
| Main Wall | Rammed earth walls |
| Location: | Dopshari, Paro |
| Current Use: | Original |
| Ownership: | Community |
| Coodinates: | Latitude N 27° and Longitude E 89° |
Lumdho Lhakhang was founded in the 12th century by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, who spread the Drukpa Kagyu sect in Bhutan. Legend says that while Phajo was traveling with his sheep, they refused to continue at this spot; seeing this as a good omen, he founded the temple there. It is also known as Rimdang (Rim meaning epidemic, dang meaning subsided), as it was built to suppress a local epidemic. The site holds significant spiritual lore: it was originally intended to be the first gateway to Chumphug Nye (founded by Guru Rinpoche), but the process was disturbed by a rooster's crow, preventing the nearby mountains from converging into a gate. A statue of Dorji Pham was placed in the Lhakhang as a form of repent for this event. The temple's local deity, Pumo Tsen, was a former monk-turned-demon subdued by Lam Ngawang Choeji. Architecturally, the Lhakhang is a national treasure, retaining its original rammed earth walls (940mm thick at the base), unique kachen (columns) with non-typical carvings, and 18th-century debri paintings. Today, it serves approximately 297 households from the Shari and Kempa chiwogs, hosting various annual religious festivals and communal rituals.
