Jakar Tshechu
Festival

The Dzong & Its History

Jakar Dzong — Castle of the White Bird

Jakar Dzong dominates the Chamkhar Valley from its ridge above Jakar town, visible from almost everywhere in the Bumthang district. It is the largest dzong in Bhutan and one of the most historically significant: it served as the seat of the first King of Bhutan in 1646, the year Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal consolidated his authority over the eastern dzongkhags, and it played the role of defensive fortress for the entire eastern region for generations.

The dzong was first built in 1549 by Ngagi Wangchuk, a Tibetan lama who came to Bumthang to spread the Drukpa Kagyu teachings — the same tradition that Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal would later use as the foundation for the unified Bhutanese state. The founding legend is one of the most memorable in Bhutan: as a group of lamas sat debating where to establish a new monastery, a large white bird — described in oral tradition as the king of geese — rose from the ground and settled on a spur of the ridge above the valley. This was read as a decisive auspicious omen, and the hill was chosen. The dzong takes its name from the bird: bjakhab, white bird, became Jakar.

The current structure dates from 1667 and bears the official name Yuelay Namgyal Dzong — given in honour of the Bhutanese victory over the troops of Tibetan ruler Phuntsho Namgyal who attacked the dzong. The dzong is architecturally unusual in one specific way: its utse (central tower) stands not in the middle of the main courtyard, as at every other dzong in Bhutan, but on an exterior wall, rising approximately 50 metres. This placement makes circumambulation of the tower impossible — a unique circumstance in a tradition where walking clockwise around sacred objects is one of the fundamental acts of devotion.

The Jakar Tshechu — A Relatively New Festival

Despite the great antiquity of Jakar Dzong, the Tshechu held within its walls is one of Bhutan’s newest major festivals, instituted only in 1999 by the Jakar Dzong monastic community. This reflects a broader pattern in Bhutanese festival culture: new Tshechus continue to be established as communities and monastic bodies formalise celebrations that may have existed informally for longer. The 1999 date also coincides with the period when Bumthang was beginning to receive more international visitors, suggesting an awareness of the festival’s cultural and economic significance.

The five-day festival is scheduled from the 7th day of the 9th Bhutanese month, typically falling in late October or early November. The programme follows the standard major Tshechu structure: Cham dances across all five days, the Atsaras throughout, and the Guru Thongdrel unveiled on the final morning. The specific dances — Guru Tshengye Cham, Drametse Nga Cham, and Raksha Mangcham — have been selected from the repertoire of past Buddhist masters and are performed by the monks of the Jakar Dzong monastic body with the precision that comes from institutional training and long practice.

Bumthang — The Spiritual Heart of Bhutan

Attending the Jakar Tshechu means spending several days in Bumthang district — one of the most rewarding destinations in Bhutan for those interested in religious history, landscape, and traditional culture. Bumthang comprises four valleys: Choekhor (where Jakar Dzong stands), Chumey, Tang, and Ura. Each contains important temples and monasteries.

• Kurjey Lhakhang — the temple built around Guru Rinpoche’s body imprint, 5km from Jakar. One of the holiest sites in Bhutan.
• Jambay Lhakhang — 7th-century temple, one of the oldest in Bhutan, a few minutes from Kurjey. The Jambay Lhakhang Drup — with its midnight Tercham and fire ceremony — is held here in October/November, potentially overlapping with the Jakar Tshechu.
• Tamshing Lhakhang — founded by Pema Lingpa in 1501, with original 500-year-old murals. Pema Lingpa’s chain mail coat is kept here.
• Mebar Tsho (Burning Lake) — the sacred gorge in the Tang Valley where Pema Lingpa retrieved terma from the water by diving in with a lit torch. About 45 minutes from Jakar.
• Wangduechhoeling Palace — the palace of the first and second Kings of Bhutan, now a heritage museum in the Chamkhar valley below the dzong. An essential companion visit.