History

Ogyen Choling was never so much a seat of political power as a center for religion. Throughout its history it was referred to by terms which alluded to its religious nature as being a monastery or hermitage, gompa.

In fact the history of Ogyen Choling begins with the visit of the great Tibetan master of Buddhism, Longchen Rabjam (1308-63). He is the most celebrated writer and philosopher of the Nyingmapa School (Ancients) of Tibetan Buddhism and is regarded as the synthesizer of the doctrine and methods of Dzogchen, 'School of Great Perfection'. Oral tradition explains why the great master chose the location for his centre. Looking up from the valley towards Ogyen Choling with the Kanyai mountain to the east, the panoramic view is that of the shape of an elephant's head. The elephant in Buddhist iconography is auspicious and it has many meanings; it is the vehicle of some Vajarayana Buddhist deities and because an elephant can live up to a hundred years it also symbolizes posterity. A few hundred meters above the village, climbing towards the crown of the elephant's head is a cave which is to this day revered as the meditation cave of Longchen Rabjam.

This place with its special physical features and blessed by the presence of Longchen Rabjam, later became a center of the Tibetan saint Dorji Lingpa (1346-1405). Dorji Lingpa is one of the great tertons (Religious treasure discoverer) of the Nyingmapa school and also a master of the Dzogchen teaching in the Bon tradition. Ogyen Choling is regarded as Dorji Lingpa's center and the descendants of the saint have not only borne the responsibility of upholding the religious tradition, choeju, but also the genealogical lineage, dungju, of Dorji Lingpa. The families of Ogyen Choling had the status of Lama choeju or "religious nobility". The best known historical personality of this lineage is undoubtedly Tsokye Dorji who was the fifteenth generation descendant of Dorji Lingpa. He was the Trongsa Penlop or "governor of Trongsa". In 1853 he handed over the post of governorship to Jigme Namgyal (1825-1881) the father of Ugyen Wangchuck (1862-1926), who in 1907 became the first hereditary monarch of Bhutan.

Source: Ogyen Choling Foundation

Heritage House

The Ogyen Choling Heritage House started operation in 2016. The Ogyen Choling manor built in 1898, is a historic, cultural site, with its origin going back to the 14th Century. The central tower of the manor was converted to become the first private museum in Bhutan . It was opened in 2001.

The Ogyen Choling Heritage House is an ideal place for guests interested in the history and culture of Bhutan, guests who appreciate the special setting with the calming spiritual ambiance and the solitude off the beaten track. Ogyen Choling is also the starting point for different day treks.

The Ogyen Choling Heritage House has guest rooms in 3 buildings.

• The Nubgothang building in the west gate field which was previously used as a private guest house. It has 4 rooms.
• The Hermitage with 2 bed rooms and a common living area. It was built in 2004.
• The shagor (two storied building enclosing the central tower) has 8 guest rooms. The dining room, the kitchen and a meeting room are also located in the shagor.

Conscious efforts were made to retain the original ambiance of the rooms. Each room is different from the other. All rooms are cozy and simply furnished . Some rooms have individual heating facilities with wood burning stoves (bukhari), others have electric heaters. All the rooms have attached toilets and showers. Our sanitary installations are imported from Switzerland. We use solar energy to heat the water (except for the two rooms in the hermitage).

Click here to visit the Ogyen Choling Heritage House website