Nimalung Tshechu
Festival

The Festival in Detail

The Three Days of the Nimalung Tshechu

The festival opens on the 8th day of the 5th Bhutanese month with the standard Cham repertoire: the Shana Cham (Dance of the Black Hats), early manifestations of the Guru Rinpoche dances, and folk performances by the Chumey Valley community. The first two days establish the sacred space and build spiritual energy toward the climax of the third day.

On the final morning — the 10th day, the birth anniversary of Guru Rinpoche — two of the festival’s most significant performances take place. First, the monks of Nimalung Dratshang perform the Guru Tshengye Cham — the Dance of the Eight Manifestations of Guru Rinpoche — in the courtyard. Then the Drametse Nga Cham (the drum dance of Drametse) is performed, bringing one of eastern Bhutan’s most celebrated Cham traditions to the Chumey Valley. The Black Hat Dance (Zhana Nga Cham) is also a feature of the final day.

The morning of the third day concludes with the Thongdrel. The great appliqüé scroll of Guru Tshengye — donated by Lopen Pemala and consecrated in June 1994 — is unfurled across the face of the monastery in the early morning light. The Thongdrel is said to purify wandering spirits in the valley and to cleanse the sins of all who look upon it. It is displayed until the first rays of direct sunlight reach it, then carefully rolled and returned to its housing for another year.

The Lama Norbu Gyamtso — a celebrated terma (treasure text) of the Nyingma tradition — is also recited during the festival, adding another layer of sacred practice unique to Nimalung’s specific lineage.

The Kaling Zhitro Drubchen — Another Reason to Visit Nimalung

Nimalung Monastery hosts a second major religious event that is less well known to visitors but of extraordinary significance: the Kaling Zhitro Drubchen, held during the first 15 days of the first month of the Bhutanese calendar (typically February). This group tantric ritual was initiated by the monastery’s co-founder Doring Trulku Jamyang Kunzang — who was the first person ever to conduct this rite in Bhutan. For practitioners of the Nyingma tradition, the Kaling Zhitro is one of the most important and powerful group practices in the calendar. Visitors with an interest in the deeper structures of Vajrayana Buddhism can attend this ceremony as well, giving two distinct reasons to visit Nimalung in different seasons.

Nimalung Monastery and the Chumey Valley

Nimalung Monastery sits in the Chumey Valley of Bumthang — the most easterly of Bumthang’s four valleys — about 23km from Jakar and 15 minutes by car off the main road through Chumey village. The Chumey Valley is known for its apple orchards, buckwheat fields, and traditional weaving. It is quieter and less visited than the main Choekhor Valley where Jakar and most of Bumthang’s famous lhakhangs are located. The two-storey monastery is decorated throughout with exceptional murals depicting both Nyingmapa and Drukpa traditions side by side — unusual in Bhutan, where most monasteries follow a single tradition. The lineage of Terton Pema Lingpa is depicted on the walls alongside multiple Buddhist masters associated with the monastery’s history.

The Second King of Bhutan, Jigme Wangchuck, renovated and upgraded Nimalung Goenba in 1940 — just five years after its founding — signalling royal endorsement of the monastery’s importance. Today the monastery’s Sheydra (monastic college) trains around 150 monks, and its Drubdey (meditation centre) is active throughout the year.

Things to Do in Bumthang During Festival Time

• Kurjey Tshechu — held two days after the Nimalung Tshechu ends, at Kurjey Lhakhang in Jakar — one of the most sacred sites in Bhutan. Attending both festivals in a single trip gives a remarkable picture of Bumthang’s spiritual life.
• Kurjey Lhakhang — the temple complex built around the cave where Guru Rinpoche left a body imprint in the rock. One of the holiest sites in Bhutan, a short drive from Jakar.
• Tamshing Lhakhang — founded by Terton Pema Lingpa himself in 1501. Original murals painted during Pema Lingpa’s lifetime survive intact. The chain mail coat of Pema Lingpa is kept here for pilgrims to carry as a blessing.
• Chumey Valley weaving — the Chumey Valley is one of the best places in Bhutan to watch and buy traditional woven textiles, particularly the distinctive Chumey yathra — a woollen fabric with geometric patterns unique to this valley.
• Jakar Dzong — the “castle of the white bird,” built in the 17th century and dominating the Choekhor Valley from its ridge. The dzong’s founding legend — a white bird landing to indicate the site — is one of the most charming in Bhutanese history.