Dechen Phodrang Monastery
A Buddhist monastery at the northern end of Thimphu whose name means Palace of Great Bliss. It sits above the city at the head of the valley road and today serves as a monastic school for young monks.
- Where
- Thimphu, Thimphu, Bhutan
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 27.5011, 89.6325
Get the Dechen Phodrang Monastery stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Dechen Phodrang Monastery. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Thimphu volume with your photos and a note.
Near Dechen Phodrang Monastery
Tashichho Dzong 1.3 km
A great whitewashed fortress and monastery on the west bank of the Wang Chu at the northern edge of Thimphu. It was long the seat of the Druk Desi, head of the civil government, an office joined to the kingship since 1907; old British records called it Tassisudon.
National Library of Bhutan 2.0 km
Bhutan's national library and archives, founded in 1967 to preserve the country's cultural and religious heritage. Its main building in Kawajangtsa, above the Royal Thimphu Golf Course, is built in the style of a traditional temple and holds old Buddhist texts.
Folk Heritage Museum 2.1 km
A museum in the Kawajangsa area of Thimphu, founded in 2001 and set in a traditional Bhutanese farmhouse. It shows the household objects, tools and ways of rural life in the kingdom.
Royal Textile Academy 2.5 km
An academy in Thimphu devoted to Bhutanese weaving, founded under the patronage of Queen Mother Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck. It trains weavers in the country's traditional craft and shows the textiles that sit at the heart of Bhutanese culture.
Pangri Zampa Monastery 3.0 km
A Buddhist monastery just north of Thimphu that serves as a college of Bhutanese astrology. Monks here study the traditional calculations used across the kingdom to read the calendar and the stars.
Royal Takin Preserve 3.1 km
A wooded reserve in Motithang, on the edge of Thimphu, for the takin, Bhutan's national animal. It began as a small zoo, but when the animals were set free they would not move into the forest, so it became a preserve. Legend credits Lama Drukpa Kunley with creating the first takin.
Changangkha Lhakhang 3.1 km
Probably the oldest surviving temple in Thimphu, founded in the 13th or 14th century on the tip of a ridge above the city centre. Parents bring small children here for blessings from its protective deity, Genyen Domtsangpa, guardian of children born in the city.
Phajoding Monastery 5.8 km
A monastery high on the slopes above Thimphu, founded in the 13th century by the Tibetan lama Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, who brought the Drukpa Kagyu teachings to Bhutan. Most of its buildings date from 1748, and the climb up from the city takes a few hours.
More hidden gems in Thimphu
Questions
Where is Dechen Phodrang Monastery?
Dechen Phodrang Monastery is in Thimphu, Thimphu, Bhutan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Tashichho Dzong (1.3 km), National Library of Bhutan (2.0 km), Folk Heritage Museum (2.1 km).
How do I get the Dechen Phodrang Monastery stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Dechen Phodrang Monastery and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Thimphu volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Dechen Phodrang Monastery before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Thimphu volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
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