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- Thimphu, Bhutan
Bhutan festivals · 2027 guide
Tharpaling Thongdrol 2027: a dawn blessing high above Bumthang
A one-day festival at Tharpaling monastery, where a giant thangka is unrolled at sunrise on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Expected on 20 February 2027.
- 20 February 2027
- Tharpaling, Chhume, Bumthang
- About 3,600 m
20 Feb
Expected date in 2027
1 day
Length of the festival
3,600 m
Approximate altitude of Tharpaling
14th c.
Era of Longchen Rabjam, linked to the site
About the festival
A thongdrol in the snow line
Tharpaling sits on a forested ridge high above the Chhume valley in Bumthang, at roughly 3,600 metres. The great Nyingma teacher Longchen Rabjam (1308 to 1363) spent years in Bumthang, and his memory is strongest at Tharpaling, where the monastery is still a place of study and retreat. Once a year, on the 15th day of the first Bhutanese month, the monks unroll a huge appliqué thangka, the thongdrol, on the hillside at dawn.
Families from Chhume and the surrounding villages climb up in the cold to receive the blessing, and the day continues with prayers and rituals. It is small, local and very early. For most travellers the reward is the setting: frost on the ground, smoke from juniper offerings and long views over the valleys of central Bhutan.
- A single morning at dawn
- One of the highest festival sites in central Bhutan
- Few visitors, mostly local families
Festival facts
Tharpaling Thongdrol 2027 at a glance
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates in 2027 | 20 February 2027 |
| Venue | Tharpaling Lhakhang, above Chhume |
| District | Bumthang (central Bhutan) |
| Altitude | About 3,600 m at the monastery; Chhume valley about 2,700 m |
| Getting there | About 1 hour by farm road from Chhume, or a steep forest walk; Chhume is about 1 hour from Jakar |
| Thongdrol | Shown at dawn and rolled up before direct sunlight |
| Weather | Very cold in February, often below freezing at dawn; snow is possible |
| Entry | Free and open to visitors with a licensed guide; the SDF and visa rules apply as on any day |
Dates follow the Department of Tourism’s tentative festival list for 2027 and the lunar calendar. They can shift by a day or two, so we confirm them before you book flights.
What you will see
Highlights of Tharpaling Thongdrol
The thongdrol
A giant thangka unrolled before sunrise for blessings.
Monastic rituals
Prayers and offerings by the monks of Tharpaling.
Juniper smoke
Sang offerings burnt at dawn to purify the site.
Local pilgrims
Families from Chhume in warm gho and kira.
High views
Wide views over Chhume and the Bumthang valleys.
The monastery
Temples linked to Longchen Rabjam's time in Bumthang.
History and meaning
The story of Tharpaling
Longchen Rabjam in Bumthang
Longchen Rabjam, often called Longchenpa, is one of the most important writers of the Nyingma school. He left Tibet in the 14th century and spent years in Bumthang, where he founded or blessed several small monasteries. Tharpaling, whose name means roughly “place of liberation”, is the best known. Pilgrims also walk up to the meditation sites at Chodrak, a little further along the ridge.
What a thongdrol means
A thongdrol is a huge thangka made of appliquéd silk. The word means “liberation on sight”, and Bhutanese believe that seeing it frees you from the effects of past wrongdoing. It is shown at dawn and rolled away before direct sunlight can fade the cloth, so if you want to see it, you need to be there in the dark.
Planning
How to plan your visit
Combining it with other festivals
February is a good month for Bumthang festivals. The Tangsibi Mani follows on 22 to 24 February in Ura, and the Punakha Drubchen and Tshechu are on 13 to 18 February in the west. A route that starts in Punakha and drives east to Bumthang can take in all three.
Practical tips
Stay in Chhume or Jakar the night before and leave in the dark. Bring thermal layers, gloves and a torch. Roads in central Bhutan can be icy in February, so we keep a spare day in the plan. Read our Bumthang travel guide for hotels and other sights.
Etiquette
How to behave at a Bhutanese festival
Festivals are religious events first, so dress as you would for a temple: long sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt, and no hats inside the dzong or temple. Never walk across the dance ground, even when it looks empty between dances. Photography is usually allowed from the edges without flash, but some rituals and inner temples are off limits; your guide will tell you when to put the camera away. Ask before taking close-up portraits.
Arrive early for a good spot, bring water, a hat and a cushion or mat, and expect to be teased by the atsaras, the masked clowns who keep the crowd in order. If someone offers you food or a cup of tea, it is polite to accept. Our guide to Bhutanese festivals explains the dances in more detail.
Trips
Build a trip around Tharpaling Thongdrol
Every trip is private, so we can time it to the festival dates and add the places nearby.
Before you go
Travel rules for 2027
Every visitor except Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals needs a visa, which costs USD 40 and is arranged by your tour operator. The Sustainable Development Fee is USD 100 per adult per night until 31 August 2027; children under 6 pay nothing and children aged 6 to 12 pay half. Indian visitors pay INR 1,200 per night. Tourists travel with a licensed guide beyond the first checkpoint and stay in certified hotels or homestays.
The SDF does not change during festival weeks, but hotel rooms near popular festivals fill early. See our visa and SDF guide and Bhutan travel rules.
Tharpaling Thongdrol: questions
It is expected on 20 February 2027, the 15th day of the first Bhutanese month.
On a ridge above the Chhume valley in Bumthang, about an hour by farm road from Chhume.
It suits travellers who enjoy small, local events and early starts. Combine it with Tangsibi Mani and the Punakha festivals for a fuller trip.
No. Bhutanese festivals are free. You attend with your licensed guide, who also explains the dances.
The Department of Tourism lists 20 February 2027 as the tentative 2027 dates. Lunar dates are occasionally adjusted, so we reconfirm before you book flights.
More festivals
Other festivals around the same time
See Tharpaling Thongdrol in 2027
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check the festival date, hold hotels nearby and send a day-by-day plan with one price that includes the SDF, visa, guide and car.
Photo credits, via Wikimedia Commons: Tharpaling monastery above the Chhume valley (Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 4.0); Jambay Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan (Arian Zwegers, CC BY 2.0); Jakar Dzong above the Chamkhar valley in Bumthang (Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0); Ura village in Bumthang (Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY 3.0); Chorten Kora stupa in Trashi Yangtse (Vikramjit Kakati, CC BY-SA 4.0); Gom Kora temple beside the Drangme Chhu (Franzfoto, CC BY-SA 3.0).
