Overview

Tangbi temple is located above the Chamkhar River north of Kurje Temple, situated in the middle of a wide fertile plateau overlooking the river. In 1470 the 4th Shamar Rinpoche from Tibet built the Monastery. The temple has two sanctuaries and a rather large temple of terrifying deities, the Gonkhang. The sanctuary on the ground floor contains recent statues of the Past, Present and Future Buddhas and three clay statues which probably date from the end of the 15th century. On the upper floor, the porch of the sanctuary contains remarkable paintings: Zangdopelri, Guru Rinpoche’s heaven, the paradise of Amitabha (the Buddha of Infinite Light) and Guru Rinpoche removing obstacles. The main statue in the sanctuary is that of Maitreya (Jampa), the Buddha of the Future. An adjacent room contains a magnificent library and collection of masks used during the annual festival. The iron-chain attributed to Pema Lingpa is a fantastic articraft and similar to the one which is kept in Tamshing temple. Tangbi serves as a community temple for the village and a local caretaker performs the daily rituals. Once a year a festival called Tangbi Mani Cham takes place and is considered very sacred.