Shivalaya Yagyaswar Mahadev Mandir
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The Shivalaya Yagyaswar Mahadev Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, on the banks of the Shetikhari river in Gelephu, Sarpang district, in southern Bhutan. It was inaugurated and consecrated on 25 July 2018 as a royal gift from King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to the Hindu community of Sarpang and of Bhutan.[1] The temple has a spire, or shikhara, in the classical Nagara style of north Indian temple architecture.
On 11 September 2026 the Prime Minister's Office announced that, on the King's command, the temple would be gilded in gold and turned into a "Golden Mandir".[2] The work covers the spire, the outer structures and the temple's sacred elements. It is being paid for partly through a public drive for gold and cash, which by 6 October 2026 had received Nu 7,098,982 (~USD 81,000) and 6.925 grams of gold from 1,771 contributors.[1]
The temple stands within the area of Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), and the gilding has been presented as a way of making it one of the city's landmarks. Completion is planned for 1 November 2026, the day GMC intends to raise 108 chortens along the Mau Chhu under Project 108.[3]
Background and royal gift
Before the temple was built, Hindu devotees from the area travelled to Bihar, India, for the Shravani Mela, the annual pilgrimage in which worshippers carry water to offer to Shiva.[1] According to The Bhutanese, the Gelephu mandir was built on the King's command and completed within a year of that command. Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay attended the inauguration in 2018 together with Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel and senior officials of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs.[4]
The same report described the Gelephu temple as one of several Shivalaya mandirs in the south and the capital. It named Shivalaya mandirs in Samtse and Jomotshangkha, said the King had ordered the renovation of the Jomotshangkha mandir, and said a mandir in Thimphu was expected to be completed within a month.[4] At the inauguration, the Prime Minister asked those present to look after the temple and to pray for the King's health and long life.
Religious life
The mandir is a place of worship and gathering for the Hindu community of Sarpang.[3] It hosts the month-long Bolbam festival, held during the Hindu month of Shravan, every year. In 2021 the King granted the Dashain tika, the blessing given by elders during the Dashain festival, to representatives of Gelephu's Hindu community at the temple.[1]
Hinduism is the main religion of many Lhotshampa, the Nepali-speaking population of southern Bhutan, and Sarpang is one of the districts where they are concentrated. For a wider account, see Hinduism in Bhutan.
Golden Mandir project
Royal command
GMC Governor Lotay Tshering told BBS that during a visit to the temple the King prayed that it would become "one of the finest of its kind in the world" and commanded that it be adorned "inside and out, with the finest gold available".[3] The Prime Minister's Office release, as reported by UNI, invited devotees, organisations, institutions and well-wishers in Bhutan and abroad to offer gold or money.[2] BBS reported that work had already begun when the international campaign was launched at the temple. The temple is closed to visitors during the structural and gilding work, until 31 October 2026.[1]
Fund drive
The Golden Mandir GMC Fund Mobilisation Platform opened on 7 September 2026 and collected more than Nu 1.6 million (~USD 18,000) on its first day.[1][3] Kuensel reported the totals as of 6 October 2026:[1]
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cash received | Nu 7,098,982.48 (~USD 81,000) |
| Gold received | 6.925 grams |
| Contributors | 1,771 (1,767 Bhutanese, 4 international) |
| International cash | USD 101 and INR 100 |
Contributions are accepted until 31 October 2026 and go into a single account at the Bank of Bhutan. Donors in Bhutan can pay with the mBoB QR code; donors abroad can pay by Visa or Mastercard through the BOB Card Zone at goldenmandir.bt. Gold and cash can also be handed in at the GPPF Ground in Changlimithang, Thimphu, or in Gelephu. Official receipts are issued only for in-person contributions. Prem Prasad Katel, the Gelephu Gup, is the project's focal person in GMC.[1]
In a letter of 25 September 2026, the Department of Revenue and Customs said donations to the project, and to the re-gilding of the Buddha Dordenma statue in Thimphu, are tax-deductible under the Income Tax Act of Bhutan 2025. The deduction is capped at the amount donated or 5 per cent of adjusted income, whichever is lower.[1]
Reactions
Katel thanked the King and said a Golden Mandir made the Hindu community "especially happy and proud". Thakur Prasad Homagai, a Gelephu resident, told BBS that the community holds the King in the "highest respect and reverence".[3] Reporting on the project has come from BBS, Kuensel and Indian wire reports based on the government's announcement. None of these reports gives the total cost of the work or the amount of gold it will need.
Visiting
- Location: Banks of the Shetikhari river, Gelephu, Sarpang district
- Access: Closed to visitors during gilding work until 31 October 2026
- Project website: goldenmandir.bt (contributions)
See also
- Hinduism in Bhutan
- Gelephu
- Gelephu Mindfulness City
- Spiritual projects of Gelephu Mindfulness City
- Project 108
- Gelephu Chorten
- Buddha Dordenma statue
- Dashain in Bhutan
References
- YK Poudel, "Bhutanese people offer millions to turn Gelephu's Shiva temple into Golden Mandir" — Kuensel via Asia News Network, 9 October 2026
- "Contributions invited for Golden Mandir in Bhutan" — UNI, 12 September 2026
- Karma Wangdi and Passang Dorji, "Shivalaya Mandir in Gelephu set for golden transformation" — BBS
- "Lyonchhen attends inauguration of Shivalaya Mandir" — The Bhutanese, 28 July 2018
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