Chendebji Chorten

Chendebji Chorten stands beside the road in a river bend between Pele La and Trongsa, a whitewashed dome with a square harmika painted with eyes on all four sides in the Nepali style of Boudhanath, which is unusual in Bhutan where chortens normally follow Tibetan or Bhutanese forms. It was built in the eighteenth century by a lama named Shida to subdue a demon that was troubling the area, and the placement in a river bend follows the logic of such sites. A wall of mani stones runs alongside and a smaller Bhutanese-style chorten was added later. Prayer flags cross the river. It is a short stop on the long drive east, taking twenty minutes, and the riverside setting makes it a common lunch or tea halt.

What you actually see

• The painted eyes - the Nepali-style harmika above the white dome.
• The mani wall - carved stones alongside the chorten.
• The river setting - the bend and prayer flags across the water.
• The later chorten - a Bhutanese-style addition beside the original.

When to go

March to May and September to November for the drive east. The stop takes half an hour at any time of year. The road can be closed by landslides in monsoon.

Honest expectations

It is a small roadside monument and the stop is brief. Facilities are a cafe or two. The highway here carries freight and is being widened in places, which affects the setting. There is no interpretation on site.

Nearby

Pele La lies west; Trongsa is east down the road.