Tokjoung Lhakhang

Chogyal Drimed Kuenden was an Indian prince, who later became a great dharma king. After giving away the most valued wealth of his nation, his father sent him and his family to exile for 12 years to “Dhuring Harshang KemKem” or “Kemkem Rig’. The place is also known as ‘Harshang Rinag’ which is about three days walk from the village although no one can pinpoint the exact location.

The Beautiful Tokjoung Lhakhang

As the prince and his family journeyed towards the north of his kingdom, which is Bhutan, he crossed many villages and one of the last village on his journey was the Dzongthang village which is pronounced more as Jongthang.
According to oral history, there are two great plains about three hours walk from the village where the national animal of our country, takin, freely graze. Takin is called as “Droo Gyem Tse” in dzongkha, thus place came to be called as Drongthang. Dro is the takin and thang in dzongkha means plain. As time passed, the pronunciation has become to Dzongthang (Jongthang) from Drongthang.
The village is under Nubi Gewog of Trongsa dzongkhag. One can reach the village by cars with four wheel options. The two hours’ drive takes you through pristine undisturbed forest and beautiful villages of Simphu, Gagar and Karshong.
When Prince Drimed Kunden reached this place, his consort Menday Zangmo, is said to have blessed the place and initiated the construction of a small temple. Accordin

View from Karshong. The Jongthang village. The present
 Lhakhang can be seen partially behind the cypress
 tree on the right side of the village while the initial
 lhakhang (a small temple) can be seen above the first
cluster of houses. 

g to the present lam of the Lhakhang, the temple came to be known as Moen Togchung Lhakhang. During those days, Bhutan was called the Moenyul. According to another theory, since the construction of the temple was initiated by Mendey Zangmo, the consort of the prince, the Lhakhang was named as Mendrey Tochung Lhakhang. The lhakhnag was later blessed and enlarged by the great Lam Ngogpa aka Chokey lodrey. The present lam believes the Lhakhang to be 970 years old.
The temple was initially built about 100 meters above the present location but had to be shifted to the present location as the place was marshy. The Lhakhang is located just above the farm road on a strategic location which looks like a hill. From the Lhakhang, one can enjoy the view of the village about 100 meters away and the villages of karshong and the beautiful Mangdey chu down the valley.

The pristine Jongthang village.

According to the lam of the Lhakhang, the present Lhakhang was built on top of a small lake where a golden fish couple resides. Although there were plans for the expansion the Lhakhang and building of hostel, guest house and other structures around the Lhakhang were planned, the plan had to put to halt as per the advice of the local oracle. The oracle, the lam said, has advised them never to think of building anything near or around the Lhakhang as the place is residence of gods, mermaid, Nagas and deities. Building anything around, the oracle advised, would disturb them and the lake which will bring disaster to the village. The outlet of the lake is believed to the drupchu which flows out of a
rock about 80 meters below the Lhakhang.

The end of the lake. (Holy water)

The main statue of the Lhakhang is the Jowo (ornated Buddha) which the locals consider very old and precious but no one exactly can tell who and when it was built. The Jowo is a wishing fulling one and is till believed to be. Legend has it that, many years ago there was pandemic of Broum nyed (Leprosy) in the neighbouring villages which nearly wiped out the villages. However, on hearing the news of the pandemic, an elderly woman of the village approached the Jowo, offering fresh cow milk, requested the Jowo to save the village from the pandemic. Miraculously, not even a single person from the village was effected with the disease. It is believed that the Jowo has taken the disease and saved the village. Even today, people offer their first harvest of the season and fresh dairy products to the Jowo to pay respect. The villages believe that the village had produced many Dashos high officials as the result of Jowo’s blessing. The youths of the village always come to the Jowo to seek blessing the guidance in their life and they are always blessed with good result. The Lam of the Lhakhang proudly says that there are no youths of the village who are spoilt acknowledging Jowo’s blessing. There are many religious assets in the Lhakhang offered by the villagers as a tribute to

Jowo’s blessings.

View from the Lhakhang; Karshong
village and beyond

The other statues are of Guru Rinpoche’s with two consorts and Zambhala (Vaisravanna, the god of wealth). The villages offer the first milk of their cows to Zambhala and thus they are blessed with lot of cattle especially with Jathsams. There is also a statue of Chugchi Zhey (Avalokiteshvara with eleven heads) and Zhabdrung. The mural paintings are of the wrathful and the peaceful deities and eight manifestations of guru Rinpoche which was sponsored by HE Ganteng Trulku Rinpoche.
 Since HE the present Gangtey Trulku Rinpoche’s mother was from Pang Denmo, a village few kilometres reaching the Lhakhang, but later shifted to Mangdey Phu, a village about 5 kilometers away and the last village towards the Kemkem rig, Rinpoche consecrated the renovated Lhakhang in 2017.
The journey Prince Drimed Kunden has taken through the places can be authenticated by the names of the places mentioned in his Namthar. The places like Lhasum pang, C

A lone new chorten stands
on the way to Jongthang.

hubhar, Namsaypang the holy water of Mandey Zangmo bear testimony to the history. It is said that Yum Mendey Zangmo used her Tingkhab to pierce a hole in a rock and fresh water gushed out thus quenching her thirst.
It is believed that, when Prince Drimed Kunden reached the present Chubhar, which is at the bank of the furious Mangdey Chu, the mermaid living in the river lake caused high waves to stop the prince from heading any further. The prince, with his compassion requested the mermaid to allow him and not to stop him from fulfilling his religious journey. The mermaid then made let a small path through the cliff on the banks of the river just enough for a person to walk. The path is still visible and the place came to be known as Chubhar.

The cheerful kids of the village.

The ground floor of the temple is used for social purposes during rituals in the Lhakhang. The annual rituals conducted are Nyungne during the first and the 12th month of the Bhutanese calendar and Zhingdrup. The Lhakhang also recite Kanjur every year but since the village lacks monks or layperson who can recite the text, they hire monks from Gantey Goenpa in Wangdue, Kharchu
Dratshng in Bumthang.
Since the Lhakhang is far from town, not many people know or visit it although it has a rich history and significance in the history of Buddhism and our country. Visiting the Lhakhang and the beautiful village, one will be taken back to the times of Prince Drimed Kunden and be blessed.

NOTE: I have not read any literature on the Lhakhang nor done any research. My writing is based solely on the interview with the lam of the Lhakhang.