Nabji Lhakhang
Drup

Where Bhutan’s History Began

Nabji Lhakhang — The Temple of the Oath

Nabji is where Guru Rinpoche first entered Bhutan. In 810 AD, travelling from Nepal toward Bumthang at the invitation of King Sindhu Raja, he crossed into Bhutanese territory via Nabji Korphu in Trongsa district. When he had completed his work in Bumthang — restoring King Sindhu Raja’s life force, taming local spirits, teaching the Dharma — he returned to this border site on his way back south. Here he encountered the conflict between King Sindhu Raja and King Nawoche, two rival kings whose enmity had been causing suffering and disruption. Guru Rinpoche mediated between them and, when both agreed to peace, had them seal the treaty by placing their handprints on a stone pillar he erected. He added his own handprint as witness and guarantor of the peace.

The stone pillar — called the Nado, pillar of oath — still stands inside Nabji Lhakhang. It is the temple’s principal relic and its reason for existence. The name Nabji derives from nāboed: taking an oath. Every aspect of the site — its founding, its name, its primary sacred object — refers to this act of peace-making in the 8th century.

The Construction of the Temple — And the Birth of the Tercham

According to the oral tradition of Nabji, when Guru Rinpoche was preparing to leave, he instructed King Sindhu Raja’s four daughters to build a temple at the site of the oath. The daughters went to Nabji and began constructing, but they encountered a specific problem: during the day they would build, and at night demons would come and destroy what they had made. The construction stalled. They prayed to Guru Rinpoche for help.

Guru Rinpoche, though absent, heard their prayers. Local deities living in a cave on the right side of the temple site — who were followers of Guru Rinpoche — came to the aid of the daughters. They danced naked through the night to distract the demons from their destructive work. Protected by this nocturnal sacred performance, the daughters completed the temple. From this event, the Tercham — the sacred naked dance — came into existence in Bhutan for the first time. The tradition was carried forward and eventually formalised in the 14th century by Terton Dorje Lingpa (1346–1405), who consecrated the temple and established the Drup ceremony at both Nabji and Jambay Lhakhang.

Inside the Temple

The main relics of Nabji Lhakhang make it one of the most materially specific sacred sites in Bhutan. The Nado — the stone pillar with the three handprints — is inside the inner chapel. A statue of Guru Rinpoche made by Trulku Chogden Gonpo (1497–1557) stands in the sanctuary. Beside it: statues of Chenrizig (Avalokiteshvara), Chagtong Chentong (the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara), Chana Dorje (Vajrapani), the Future Buddha Jowo Jampa, and a statue of Terton Dorje Lingpa, also made by Trulku Chogden Gonpo. The cave on the right side of the lhakhang — where the local deities danced to distract the demons — is preserved as a sacred space.

Beside the entrance stands the cypress tree believed to be Guru Rinpoche’s walking stick, planted in the ground when he arrived. Trees of this kind — grown from objects touched or used by a master — are among the most venerated living relics in Bhutanese Buddhism.

Getting to Nabji

Nabji Lhakhang is 110–115km by road from Trongsa town, in Korphu Gewog. The road ends at Nabji Primary School, from where a 30-minute hike leads up to the lhakhang. The drive from Trongsa takes approximately 3 hours on mountain roads. The Nabji–Korphu trek — one of Bhutan’s most rewarding cultural treks, passing through traditional villages with limited tourist presence — begins in this area and can be combined with a festival visit. Found Bhutan can arrange the full logistics.