Kurjey Lhakhang

One of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Bhutan, comprising three temples on a hillside in the Bumthang Valley where Guru Padmasambhava is believed to have left his body imprint (kurjey) in rock while subduing a local demon in the 8th century. The oldest temple dates to 1652 and enshrines the sacred body-print cave; the second was built in 1900 by the first King of Bhutan; and the third was added in the 1990s by the Queen Mother. The compound is encircled by 108 chortens and features a massive cypress tree said to have been planted by Guru Rinpoche himself.