- Licensed Bhutanese tour operator
- Thimphu, Bhutan
Bhutan festivals · 2027 guide
Tamshing Phala Chhoepa 2027: Pema Lingpa's temple in festival
Three days of masked dances at Tamshing Lhakhang, the temple built by Pema Lingpa in 1501. Expected on 10 to 12 October 2027.
- 10 to 12 October 2027
- Tamshing Lhakhang, Bumthang
- Pema Lingpa tradition
10 to 12 Oct
Expected dates in 2027
1501
Year Tamshing was built
3
Days of the festival
15 min
Drive from Jakar
About the festival
A festival in a 500-year-old temple
Tamshing Lhakhang stands across the river from Kurjey in the Chhoekhor valley. It was built in 1501 by Terton Pema Lingpa, the treasure revealer born in Bumthang, and its inner walls carry some of the oldest surviving paintings in Bhutan. It remains a seat of the Pema Lingpa tradition, with a community of monks and gomchens.
The Phala Chhoepa is the temple’s annual festival of offerings, with masked dances performed in the small courtyard over three days. Many of the dances belong to the Pema Lingpa tradition, which Pema Lingpa is said to have composed from visions. The setting is intimate: you sit close to the dancers, with the old temple behind them.
- Dances of the Pema Lingpa tradition
- In a temple built in 1501
- Small and intimate
Festival facts
Tamshing Phala Chhoepa 2027 at a glance
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates in 2027 | 10 to 12 October 2027 |
| Venue | Tamshing Lhakhang, Chhoekhor |
| District | Bumthang (central Bhutan) |
| Altitude | About 2,650 m |
| Getting there | About 15 minutes from Jakar, or a walk across the footbridge from Kurjey |
| Weather | Clear, cool autumn days |
| Nearby | Kurjey Lhakhang, Jambay Lhakhang and Jakar Dzong |
| 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 Tamshing Phala Chhoepa
Pema Lingpa dances
Cham composed in the Pema Lingpa tradition.
Tamshing Lhakhang
A temple founded in 1501.
Ancient murals
Some of the oldest paintings in Bhutan.
Chain-mail coat
A heavy coat said to have been made by Pema Lingpa.
Local families
Villagers from the Chhoekhor valley.
Autumn colour
Buckwheat harvest season in Bumthang.
History and meaning
Pema Lingpa and Tamshing
Terton Pema Lingpa
Pema Lingpa (1450 to 1521) was born in Bumthang and is the most famous of Bhutan’s treasure revealers. He is credited with discovering hidden teachings and objects and with composing many of the sacred dances still performed today. Tamshing was his principal temple.
The temple
Inside Tamshing, look for the old murals on the inner walls and the chain-mail coat that visitors may carry around the inner sanctum three times for merit. The temple is unusual for having its chapel layout largely unchanged for centuries.
Planning
How to plan your visit
An autumn festival trip
Combine Tamshing with the Thangbi Mewang on 15 to 16 October, a short drive up the valley, and the Gangtey Tshechu in Phobjikha on the way east. A 10-day trip through central Bhutan fits all three.
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 Tamshing Phala Chhoepa
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.
Tamshing Phala Chhoepa: questions
Expected on 10 to 12 October 2027 at Tamshing Lhakhang.
Terton Pema Lingpa, in 1501.
Yes, with Thangbi Mewang (15 to 16 October) and Gangtey Tshechu (13 to 15 October).
No. Bhutanese festivals are free. You attend with your licensed guide, who also explains the dances.
The Department of Tourism lists 10 to 12 October 2027 as the tentative 2027 dates. Lunar dates are occasionally adjusted, so we reconfirm before you book flights.
See Tamshing Phala Chhoepa 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: Kurjey Lhakhang temples in Bumthang (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); Countryside in Wangdue Phodrang (Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0).
