Jakar is the main city and trading center in and around the region called Bumthang. [see part I] Jakar's trading includes a variety of goods smuggled in over the passes from Tibet. Jakar, however, also has more local products than Thimpu or Paro, perhaps because of Jakar's relative isolation. Local products include apple and pear brandy (Rs 50/bottle), honey, yak cheese (called "rock cheese" by Westerners--plan on spending an hour or more gnawing on a single small piece), mango preserves, and dairy products.

This page focuses on some of the buildings around Jakar. Part III includes Jakar Dzong and downtown Jakar.

Kurjey Lhakhang is a complex of temples at 8660 ft built starting in 1652. One of Bhutans' more significant Lhakhang complexes, Kurjey is named for the bodily imprint of Guru Rinpoche visible in a rock in the oldest section of the complex.

The complex itself consists of monks' quarters, three chortens (marking the cremation sites of the first three kings of Bhutan), and three temple buildings built in 1652, 1900, and 1984. The lower picture is of the 1900 building, which was built by Bhutan's first king. A wall with 108 chortens was built around the complex by the Queen Mother when she built the 1984 structure.

The temple is located on a place where Guru Rinpoche, who introduced Buddhism to Bhutan, defeated a local diety (manifested as a white lion) that had sapped the life force of the local King. The white lion diety agreed to protect Buddhism, and to seal the deal, Guru Rinpoche drove his walking stick into the ground. The walking stick since grew into a large cyprus overlooking the lhakhang. Despite their agreement, statues of Guru Rinpoche often show him crushing a white lion with his foot.

While meditating before defeating the white lion, Guru Rinpoche left a bodily imprint in a rock. Seeing the bodily imprint is quite an experience. The temple is relatively large, maybe 30 ft by 20 ft with three large statues of Guru Rinpoche and 1000 statues of the Guru lining the walls, along with his Tibetan and Nepali wives and his eight manifestations. The meditation cave shows the imprint the Guru left in a rock while meditating. Most interesting, however, was the monk who meditated, banged drums, and clashed cymbals in the room. Fortunately, the monk let us interrupt his jam session to view the altar.

Outside this construction project was the only time I ever saw an unfriendly sign in Bhutan. Aman Group has posted a "no tresspassing please" sign outside this hotel project. A Bhutan expert with the Royal Asiatic Society expressed concern that the hotel is being built too close to the historic palace (above). Indeed, the RAS notes diplomatically, "The new 5-star luxury lodge (only a few rooms, rumoured to be marketed at US$700 a night) coming up next to the Wangdichholing Palace seemed incongruous, and several wondered about the viability of this and similar joint-venture projects now under way."

With the King zealously concerned about tourism destroying Bhutan's unique culture, it seems strange that the country would allow itself to be used by a company that seems so out-of-touch with Bhutanese culture. Posting a no-tresspassing sign outside a ritzy tourist hotel is a great way to drive a wedge between tourists and Bhutanese, and I hope the King and Penn-State-educated Foreign Minister would continue to protect their culture against the precious tourist dollar.

Across the Bumthang Chhu from Jakar are several small goembas (monasteries). This is Tamshing Goemba, established in 1501 by Pema Lingpa. A young monk accompanied me through the lhakhang, which is among the most fascinating in Bhutan. The lhakhang is two storeys, the second being quite short, built to the height of Pema Lingpa. The sanctuary has several statues and paintings of Guru Rinpoche and his eight manifestations.

The most fascinating thing about Tamshing Goemba is a 500-year-old suit of chain mail made by Pema Lingpa. It sits on a rock on the lower floor, and the monk and my guide helped me to put on the 25-pound suit so as to carry it aroung the Goemba. It is said to be an auspicious act to carry it thrice around the Goemba. On the walls are unrestored frescoes, also perhaps 500 years old. Bhutan is one of the only places in the world where one could stare face-to-face at 500 year old frescoes while carrying an equally-old suit of mail.

The "Burning Lake" of Membartsho is located in the Tang Valley a short drive from Jakar. Here, Pema Lingpa found several of Guru Rinpoche's terma (hidden artefacts).

The lake is so-named because of an incident involving Pema Lingpa in the late 1400s. The first terma that Pema Lingpa discovered here contained instructions to return to the lake to collect more treasure. When Pema Lingpa was accused of trickery by the local governor, he declared that if he were the real revealer of treasures, he could dive into the lake with a lamp and would return with a lamp still lit. If he were a devil, he would perish. Pema Lingpa plunged in and was gone long enough to satisfy the skeptics, but he soon emerged clutching a statue and a box of treasures... with the lamp still burning, of course.