Nalakhar Tshechu
Festival

A Temple Founded by a Swan

Ngang Lhakhang — History and Architecture

Ngang Lhakhang was built in the 15th century by Lama Namkha Samdrup — a religious scholar who had left his home monastery of Lhodrak Kharchu in southern Tibet and was seeking an auspicious place in Bhutan to establish himself. He settled briefly in northern Bumthang but found the location unsuitable. Walking south through the Choekhor Valley, he arrived at a site on the bank of the river where a beautiful swan flew in circles overhead and came to rest on the ground before him. In Bhutanese Buddhist practice, the appearance and behaviour of certain birds at critical moments is understood as divine guidance — an indication from the protective powers of the landscape that a site is chosen. Namkha Samdrup built his residence here; the building grew into a temple. The swan that indicated the site gave the temple its name: Ngang Lhakhang, the Swan Temple.

The temple is architecturally unusual. Where most Bhutanese temples of this age and significance are identifiable as religious buildings — with whitewashed walls, gilt roofs, and monastic outbuildings — Ngang Lhakhang looks like a large, well-maintained traditional farmhouse. It has two storeys and is preceded by a wide courtyard. This domestic appearance reflects the temple’s private character: it was built as a residence, not as a monastery, and has been maintained by family lineages rather than monks. The lower floor houses the main sanctuary, with its central statues of Guru Rinpoche as Padmakara with his two consorts. The upper floor is a Goenkhang dedicated to the protective deities of the Choekhor Valley, and it is here that the festival masks are kept year-round.

The temple fell into disrepair in the later period of its history. At the time of King Ugyen Wangchuck (the first King, late 19th–early 20th century), it was taken over by a collateral lineage of the founder’s family. It was restored in the 1970s and has been actively maintained since.

The Two Hereditary Families

The festival and the temple are jointly maintained by two family lineages who have been associated with Ngang Lhakhang for centuries. The first is the Samdang Dung — a family said to be descended from the retinue of the 8th-century Tibetan King Trisong Detsen, members of whose court came to Bhutan with Guru Rinpoche and settled in the Choekhor Valley. The second is the Ngang Lhakhang Choeje — the direct heirs of Lama Namkha Samdrup, the temple’s 15th-century founder. Both families are present at the Tshechu and play formal roles in the ritual programme. This continuity of hereditary stewardship over approximately six centuries is extremely rare in Bhutan, where most temples have long since been absorbed into the state monastic system.

The Festival Programme

The Nalakhar Tshechu runs for three days in November, based on the Bhutanese lunar calendar. The programme follows the standard Tshechu structure: Cham dances by monks and community performers over three days, with the Atsaras active throughout. The Dance of the Wrathful Deities and the Dance of the Eight Manifestations of Guru Rinpoche are among the centrepiece performances. The festival is specifically intended as a prayer for good harvest and the wellbeing of all sentient beings — a specifically agricultural festival intention that gives it a community character distinct from the more architecturally grand dzong festivals.

The Choekhor Valley setting of the upper Choekhor — quieter and less visited than the lower valley area around Jakar — gives the festival an intimacy and rural character that is increasingly rare in Bhutan’s festival calendar. The people who attend the Nalakhar Tshechu are predominantly local: farmers and community members from the surrounding villages, dressed in their finest Gho and Kira, gathering at a private family temple whose founding story is written into its name.

Things to Do Around the Festival

• Thangbi Lhakhang — passed on the drive north from Jakar to Ngang Lhakhang. A significant temple in its own right, with its own festival (Tangbi Mewang) in the 8th lunar month.
• Jakar Dzong — the Castle of the White Bird, the largest dzong in Bhutan, about an hour south. The Jakar Tshechu is held here in October/November.
• Jambay Lhakhang and Kurjey Lhakhang — two of the most sacred temples in Bhutan, in the lower Choekhor Valley near Jakar.
• Tamzhing Lhakhang — founded by Pema Lingpa in 1501, housing Bhutan’s oldest murals and the Pema Lingpa chain mail coat. A 30-minute drive from Jakar.
• Bumthang Brewery — Red Panda beer, brewed in Bumthang with local ingredients. A short walk from Jakar town, tours available.