Cheri Monastery

Cheri Dorji Dhen was built in 1620 by Ngawang Namgyal, the Zhabdrung who unified Bhutan, and it was here that he established the first monastic body of the new state; a silver chorten inside holds the ashes of his father. The walk starts at the end of the road at the head of the Thimphu valley, crosses the river on a covered wooden bridge, and climbs steeply for about an hour through forest to the monastery on its shoulder. Monks in long retreat live in huts on the slopes above, some of them in isolation for years at a time, and the whole valley head is quiet as a result. Goral, a small goat-antelope, is often seen on the rocks along the path. The site is small and the walk is the substance of the visit.

History

By Bhutanese religious histories Padmasambhava visited the place in the 8th century, and in the 13th century Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, who first brought the Drukpa Kagyu tradition to Bhutan, came here too. In 1620 Ngawang Namgyal, the Zhabdrung, aged 27, founded here his first monastery in Bhutan, and as soon as the temple and its reliquary stupa were finished he set up a community of 30 monks on the model of his first monastic community at Ralung, taught by Lhawang Lodoe (Wikipedia, Chagri Monastery).

The main sights

• The covered bridge - the wooden crossing at the start of the climb.
• The silver chorten - the reliquary of the Zhabdrung's father.
• Retreat huts - meditation cells scattered on the slopes above.
• Goral - small goat-antelope on the rocks beside the path.

When to go

March to May and September to November. The path is steep and best walked in the cool of the morning. Monsoon brings mud and leeches. Snow occasionally reaches this altitude in winter.

Before you go

The climb is steep and gains around four hundred metres in an hour. The monastery is small and interior access is limited. Silence matters here more than at most sites because of the retreatants above. No facilities on the route.

Nearby

Tango Monastery is on the opposite side of the valley; Thimphu lies south.

Key facts