Royal Dumtseg Lhakhang Restoration

2017-2019

Dumtseg Lhakhang is one of Bhutan’s most remarkable and distinctive religious monuments. Built in 1412 by Thangtong Gyelpo, the renowned Tibetan master and builder of iron bridges, the temple was constructed in the unusual form of a three-storey chorten.

According to local tradition, Thangtong Gyelpo built the temple to subdue a demoness believed to have emerged from beneath the earth and terrorised the inhabitants of the Paro valley. The temple stands on a small hill understood to represent her head. Unlike conventional monasteries and temples, Dumtseg Lhakhang was conceived as a chorten, making its architecture exceptionally rare in Bhutan. Its interior is equally significant, containing intricate sacred paintings and imagery representing Buddhist cosmology.

The temple has undergone restoration and renewal several times throughout its history, including a major restoration in 1841 under the 25th Je Khenpo Sherub Gyaltsen.

By the 21st century, Dumtseg Lhakhang once again required extensive conservation and restoration. In 2017, a major restoration project was initiated under the patronage of Her Majesty the Royal Grandmother, Gyalyum Kesang Choeden Wangchuck.

The project brought together Bhutanese heritage custodians and Japanese architectural restoration expertise. Rev. Matsuyama played an important role in facilitating the collaboration, introducing the project to Aichiken Co. Ltd., a specialist architectural restoration company based in Nagoya, Japan, headed by Mr. Nakashima.

The resulting Japan–Bhutan restoration partnership combined traditional Bhutanese knowledge and religious custodianship with specialised Japanese restoration techniques. The work focused on safeguarding the temple’s historic structure and sacred interior while respecting its original character and religious function.

Completed in 2019, the restoration ensured that Dumtseg Lhakhang could continue not only as an important historic monument, but as a living sacred space for future generations.