| MINJAY DHARCHEN GOENPA
Darchen Goenpa, also known as Darchen Pang Goenpa is located in Minjey gewog under Lhuntshe Dzongkhag. It was founded by Gyeltshen Marpo, one of the closest disciples of Togden Shakya Shri in 1918. Togden Shakya Shri was one of the best known Buddhist ascetics in the world.
Prior to the construction of Minjay Darchen Goenpa, Gyeltshen Marpo was meditating in the nearby area.
After the death of Gyeltshen Marpo, local people took care of Goenpa. However, the condition of the Goenpa started to get worse over the years and needed immediate renovation/restoration. So in 1978, the local people decided to appeal to His Eminence H.E. Gyeltshen Trulku to renovate and take care of the monastery. As desired by the people, the Goenpa, along with all the nangtens were restored to its former glory and since then it has never failed to attract practioners who wanted to go into retreat.
The Goenpa is surrounded by village like Zhamgoen and Drakgong. It faces Dongla towards north and has palace of Luma tag Dongma in front. It is surrounded by abundant lush pasture and trees. Further, the place looks beautiful with cypress forests nearby. There are many important Nyes along the mountain ridges.
Given good access to all the modern amenities like telephone and electricity, and being just about fifteen minutes walk from the nearest road head, the Goenpa is well known across the eastern Bhutan. During the olden days, this place also served as a halting place for all the government officials traveling to and from eastern Bhutan. |
