"The cave where Guru Rinpoche left his body imprint in stone, bringing Buddhism to Bumthang"
Kurje Monastery
Dawathang_Dorjibi_ Kashingtsawa, Bumthang District, Bhutan
Kurje Lhakhang — the Temple of the Sacred Body Imprint — marks the cave where Guru Rinpoche meditated and subdued a local deity in 810 CE, leaving the impression of his body in the rock. Three temples span four centuries of construction around this cave. The complex also serves as the burial ground for the first three kings of Bhutan, linking the spiritual origin of Buddhism in Bumthang to the temporal authority of the monarchy.
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Quick Facts
Location
Dawathang_Dorjibi_ Kashingtsawa, Bumthang District, Bhutan
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
27.5871, 90.7303
Last Updated
Mar 9, 2026
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The founding sacred site of Buddhism in Bumthang. Guru Rinpoche's meditation here in 810 CE subdued a local deity and established the dharma in the region.
Origin Story
In 810 CE, King Sindhu Raja of Bumthang fell gravely ill after offending the local deity Shelging Karpo. He invited Guru Rinpoche to heal him. The guru entered a cave in the red cliff, meditated, subdued the deity through spiritual power, and restored the king's life force. When he rose from meditation, his body had left its imprint in the cave wall. This event marks the introduction of Buddhism to the Bumthang region and is the foundational sacred narrative of the site.
Key Figures
Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava)
Left his body imprint in the cave after subduing the deity Shelging Karpo
King Sindhu Raja
King of Bumthang whose illness prompted Guru Rinpoche's visit
Mingyur Tenpa
Penlop of Trongsa who built the first temple enclosing the cave in 1652
Ugyen Wangchuck
First King of Bhutan who built the second temple in 1900 and whose remains rest at the site
Spiritual Lineage
The site connects the earliest introduction of Vajrayana Buddhism to Bumthang (Guru Rinpoche, 8th century) to the establishment of the Bhutanese monarchy (Ugyen Wangchuck, early 20th century), with the body imprint serving as the constant point around which both spiritual and temporal authority orient.
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