| Name: | Kichu Lhakhang |
|---|---|
| Identity: | Lhakhang |
| Level: | Registered Heritage Building |
| Category: | Heritage Building |
| Founder: | Choegyel Songtsen Gumpo Rasatruelnang and Duetshungsu |
| Constructed(Year|Century): | 0 | 7 |
| No. of Floor | 1floor |
| Main Wall | Stone walls (stone masonry with intermediate ghashing for Jowo Temple; stone walls finished with mud plaster for Guru Temple). |
| Location: | Lamgong, Paro |
| Current Use: | Original |
| Ownership: | Government |
| Coodinates: |
Kyichu Lhakhang is one of the 108 "border taming" temples built in the 7th century by the Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo to subdue a demoness laying across the Himalayas. It is celebrated as one of the oldest holy sites in Bhutan, where Guru Padmasambhava is believed to have hidden many spiritual "Profound Treasures" (Ters). Architecturally, the complex is unique for housing a "temple within a temple". The Jowo Lhakhang houses a principal statue of Jowo Shakyamuni depicted as a twelve-year-old prince. The Guru Lhakhang was added in 1966 by the Royal Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck to protect the Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, following a prophecy. It houses a one-story high statue of Guru Nangsid Zilnon and the reliquaries of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. The site holds immense spiritual value; for example, two orange trees in the courtyard are said to bear fruit year-round. Today, the Lhakhang caters to approximately 20,000 people in the Paro district and remains a vital center for Bhutanese traditions and folklore.
