Jambay Lhakhang or the Temple of Maitreya is located in the beautiful valley of Bumthang and a short drive from the main town. Jambay Lhakhang was built in the early 6th Century by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo credited for introducing Buddhism to Tibet and he is believed to be a manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion (Avalokitesvara) of whom the Dalai Lamas are similarly believed to be a manifestation of. Jambay Lhakhang is one of the 108 temples built by King Songtsen Gampo to subdue a giant ogress that was preventing the spread of Buddhism in the Himalayas. After subjugation, the body of the ogress was laid across the Himalayas (of Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal) and the King built 108 temples over the body of which the Kyichu Lhakhang is said to be constructed on the left knee of the ogress. The Lhakhang was visited by Guru Rinpoche and many saints over the years and is a treasure house of many ancient relics, artifacts and statues of prominent Buddhists figures. Like all ancient temples, the Jambay Lhakhang consists of a central shrine with a circumambulation path flanked by devotees every day. The central shrine contains a large statue of Buddha Maitreya, framed on either side by four Bodhisattvas. The ground floor houses the statues of the Past, Present and Future Buddhas. On the upper floor, the sanctuary contains remarkable paintings of Zangdopelri, the Glorious Copper Colored Paradise of Guru Rinpoche and the paradise of Amitabha (the Buddha of infinite light). The most unique and astonishing Naked Dance is performed on the grounds of the Lhakhang every year during the Jambay Lhakhang Drup/Festival. Sixteen men dance around the Temple completely naked at midnight, and the dance has many religious significance centered around the forces of evil and good. Another important dance is the Mewang or the Fire Dance performed to bless infertile women to bear children.
BhutanBurgoth
★★★★★5.0Wrote on 12 Aug 2019
Pilgrimage tour to Bumthang
The Jambay Lhakhang) or Temple of Maitreya is located in Bumthang (Jakar) in Bhutan, and is said to be one of the 108 temples built by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in 659 CE on a single day, to pin down an ogress to earth forever. It was divined that the supine demoness was causing obstruction to the spread of Buddhism, and temples were constructed on her body parts that spread across Tibet, Bhutan and the borderlands. The best known of these temples are Jokhang in Lhasa, Kichu in Paro, Bhutan and Jambay Lhakhang in Bumthang District, Bhutan. Other, lesser-known temples in Bhutan have been destroyed, but it is believed that, among others, Kongchogsum in Bumthang, Khaine in Lhuntse and two temples in Haa District may have part of these 108 temples. Jambay Lhakhang was visited by Padmasambhava and restored by King Sindhu Raja after the former returned his life force.
