- Licensed Bhutanese tour operator
- Thimphu, Bhutan
Bhutan festivals · 2027 guide
Gomphu Kora festival 2027: a night of pilgrimage around Guru Rinpoche's cave
Three days at the cave temple of Gom Kora, beside the Drangme Chhu in eastern Bhutan, with an all-night circumambulation. Expected on 16 to 18 March 2027.
- 16 to 18 March 2027
- Gom Kora, eastern Bhutan
- About 23 km from Trashigang
16 to 18 Mar
Expected dates in 2027
3
Days of the festival
23 km
From Trashigang town
8th c.
Era of Guru Rinpoche’s meditation here
About the festival
The cave where the Guru caught a demon
Gom Kora is a small temple built against a great black rock beside the Drangme Chhu, about 23 km from Trashigang. Legend says Guru Rinpoche meditated in a cave here in the 8th century and trapped a demon that had fled from Tibet, taking the form of a garuda to catch it. The marks in the rock are said to show the struggle, and a narrow passage through it is believed to cleanse those who squeeze through.
The Gomphu Kora Tshechu runs from the 9th to the 11th day of the second Bhutanese month. On the main night, pilgrims walk around the rock and temple until dawn, and people from all over eastern Bhutan come, including Brokpa herders from Merak and Sakteng and visitors from Arunachal Pradesh. It is one of the most atmospheric festivals in the country.
- Night-long circumambulation
- Pilgrims from across eastern Bhutan and Arunachal
- Masked dances by day
Festival facts
Gomphu Kora 2027 at a glance
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates in 2027 | 16 to 18 March 2027 |
| Venue | Gom Kora Lhakhang, by the Drangme Chhu |
| District | Trashi Yangtse (eastern Bhutan), near Trashigang |
| Altitude | Around 900 to 1,200 m, so mild in March |
| Getting there | About 45 minutes from Trashigang on the road to Trashi Yangtse; Yonphula airport is near Trashigang |
| Main night | The circumambulation continues through the night of the main day |
| Nearby | Trashigang Dzong, Chorten Kora and the Rangjung monastery |
| 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 Gomphu Kora
Masked dances
Cham in the temple grounds during the day.
Night kora
Pilgrims circling the sacred rock until dawn.
Eastern communities
Brokpa from Merak and Sakteng in their distinctive dress.
The cave temple
A shrine built against the rock of Guru Rinpoche.
The narrow passage
A tight squeeze through the rock, said to cleanse sins.
Fair stalls
Food stalls and crafts along the riverbank.
History and meaning
The legend of Gom Kora
Guru Rinpoche and the demon
The demon Myongkhapa is said to have escaped from Samye in Tibet and hidden in the rock at Gom Kora. Guru Rinpoche meditated here for three days, then took the form of a garuda and seized the demon, who had become a snake. Pilgrims point out impressions in the rock said to be the Guru’s body and hat.
The temple
Tradition credits a small temple here to the 10th century, later extended by Terton Pema Lingpa and enlarged in the 17th century under the fourth Desi, Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye. Today’s temple is modest, set among rice fields and banana trees.
Planning
How to plan your visit
Getting there
The easiest way is to fly to Yonphula, near Trashigang, or to drive east over several days through Bumthang and Mongar. Stay in Trashigang and drive to Gom Kora each day. If you want to join the night kora, plan a rest the next morning.
Combine it with
The Drukpa Kora at Chorten Kora is on 8 March, and Rhododendron Week in Merak starts on 3 April. Paro Tshechu runs from 18 to 22 March if you want to finish in the west.
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 Gomphu Kora
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.
Gomphu Kora: questions
Expected on 16 to 18 March 2027.
Beside the Drangme Chhu, about 23 km from Trashigang on the road to Trashi Yangtse.
Yes. Walk clockwise with your guide and keep your voice low.
No. Bhutanese festivals are free. You attend with your licensed guide, who also explains the dances.
The Department of Tourism lists 16 to 18 March 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 Gomphu Kora 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: Gom Kora temple beside the Drangme Chhu (Franzfoto, CC BY-SA 3.0); Trashigang Dzong above the river (Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 3.0); Chorten Kora stupa in Trashi Yangtse (Vikramjit Kakati, CC BY-SA 4.0); Rhododendron flowers in bloom (Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0); Gasa Dzong below snow peaks (Choying Leki Drukpa, CC BY-SA 4.0).
