"One of Bhutan's two oldest temples, where a seventh-century statue and ever-bearing orange trees resist the passage of time"
Kyichu Monastery
Satsam, Paro District, Bhutan
Kyichu Lhakhang in the Paro Valley is one of two temples vying for the title of Bhutan's oldest, built in 659 CE by King Songtsen Gampo to pin the left foot of a supine demoness. It holds a seventh-century Jowo Sakyamuni statue cast at the same time as the famous Jokhang statue in Lhasa. In the courtyard, orange trees attributed to Guru Rinpoche bear fruit year-round, defying season and climate in a place where many things seem to defy ordinary time.
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Quick Facts
Location
Satsam, Paro District, Bhutan
Tradition
Site Type
Year Built
7th century
Coordinates
27.4411, 89.3755
Last Updated
Mar 9, 2026
Learn More
Built in 659 CE by King Songtsen Gampo as part of the 108-temple network. Houses a seventh-century Jowo statue and a twentieth-century Guru Lhakhang built by the Bhutanese royal family.
Origin Story
King Songtsen Gampo built Kyichu Lhakhang in 659 CE as one of 108 temples to subdue a supine demoness. This temple pins her left foot. The Jowo Sakyamuni statue was cast at the same time as the companion statue in Lhasa's Jokhang, creating a paired sacred geography across the Himalayas. Guru Rinpoche is traditionally credited with planting the courtyard's orange trees during a later visit.
Key Figures
King Songtsen Gampo
Built the original temple in 659 CE
Guru Rinpoche
Traditionally credited with planting the ever-bearing orange trees
Queen Mother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck
Built the Guru Lhakhang in 1968
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Consecrated the Guru Lhakhang
Spiritual Lineage
The temple connects the earliest Tibetan imperial Buddhism (Songtsen Gampo) to the Nyingmapa tradition (Guru Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse) and to the Bhutanese royal family, whose patronage has sustained the site through the modern era.
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