Haa Tshechu
Festival

The White Temple & the Black Temple

Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Nagpo — Two Temples, Two Pigeons

In the 7th century, the Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo sought auspicious sites for temples throughout the Himalayan region. He was undertaking a programme of building 108 temples in a single day to subdue a great demoness whose supine body lay across the mountains, obstructing the spread of Buddhism. To select sites, he released birds from his consciousness and observed where they landed. In Haa Valley, two birds were released: a white pigeon and a black pigeon. The white pigeon landed at the foothills of the three sacred Rigsum Gonpo mountains in the south of the valley; the black pigeon landed a short distance to the north. Two temples were built on these sites — Lhakhang Karpo (the White Temple) and Lhakhang Nagpo (the Black Temple).

Lhakhang Karpo is the larger and more significant of the two. Founded in 659 CE, it is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Bhutan and one of the few that predate the arrival of Guru Rinpoche to the region. It stands at 3,366m at the base of the Rigsum Gonpo peaks and houses the Haa Dzongkhag Monastic Body — 180 monks since 1985. It is the principal seat of Ap Chhundu, the guardian deity of Haa Valley and Paro district. The Tshechu is held in its courtyard, and the Thongdrel is housed in its altar room.

Lhakhang Nagpo, 15 minutes north on foot, carries perhaps the most unusual foundation legend in Bhutan. It was built on top of a lake. The doorway cut into the floor of the temple — still visible today — is considered the passage to the underground lake below and, through it, to the underworld of the water spirit. The temple houses the shrine of the local deity Da Do Chen. Both temples are an easy 10-minute walk from Wangchulo Dzong and are typically visited together.

Wangchulo Dzong — The Only Dzong Without Monks

The Haa Dzong — officially Wangchulo Dzong — was built in 1915 by Kazi Ugyen Dorji to replace the old Dumchog Dzong, which had been razed by fire in 1913. The original Dumchog Dzong had been built on the right knee of a landscape deity interpreted as Chenrizig (Avalokiteshvara). The new dzong was positioned to the left of Lhakhang Karpo.

Wangchulo Dzong holds a distinction unique in Bhutan: it is the only dzong without classrooms or residential facilities for monks. The Haa monastic body lives and studies at Lhakhang Karpo, not at the dzong. In 1963, the dzong was handed over to the Indian Military Training Team, who use it as a training and coordination centre to this day. This gives Haa an unusual character among Bhutanese districts: the spiritual and administrative centre is Lhakhang Karpo rather than the dzong, and the dzong itself is largely a military facility.

Ap Chhundu — The Guardian Deity of Two Districts

Ap Chhundu is the guardian deity of both Haa Valley and Paro district — an unusual cross-district protective role. His primary seat is at Gechu Lhakhang; his second abode is Lhakhang Karpo. Each year in the 10th Bhutanese lunar month, a traditional procession forms at Lhakhang Karpo and walks to Jangkhakha — an open meadow near Yangthang village — where offerings and prayers are made to Ap Chhundu. Astrologers determine the exact date. This Lha-soel ceremony (birthday celebration of the deity) is separate from the Tshechu but equally important for the Haa community.

Things to Do in Haa Around the Festival

• Chelela Pass (3,988m) — 26km from Haa, the highest motorable pass in Bhutan, with panoramic views of the western Himalayan chain including Jhomolhari (7,314m) and Jichu Drake (6,989m). Spectacular in any season.
• Lhakhang Nagpo — the Black Temple with its underground lake and floor doorway to the water spirit world, 15 minutes walk north of Lhakhang Karpo.
• Katsho Lhakhang — a small temple in the upper Haa Valley, accessible by a short hike, with views over the entire valley.
• Haa River valley walks — the flat valley floor below the Rigsum Gonpo mountains provides excellent easy walking through buckwheat fields and traditional villages.
• Paro — 2 hours by road over Chelela Pass. The Paro Tshechu (March/April) and Tiger’s Nest are the natural combination with a Haa visit.