The Jampa Temple (,
THL ''Jampé Lhakhang'') or Temple of
Maitreya
Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pali), is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddhahood, Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism, prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha.Williams, Paul. ''Mahayana Buddhism: Th ...
is located in Bumthang (
Jakar) in
Bhutan
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
, and is said to be one of the 108 temples built by
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
an King
Songtsen Gampo in 659 CE on a single day, to pin down an ogress to earth forever.
[Pommaret (2006), p.241]
Legend
It was divined that the supine demoness was causing obstruction to the spread of
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, and temples were constructed on her body parts that spread across Tibet,
Bhutan
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
and the borderlands.
The best known of these temples are
Jokhang in
Lhasa
Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China.
Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...
,
Kichu in
Paro, Bhutan and Jambay Lhakhang in
Bumthang District
Bumthang District (Dzongkha: བུམ་ཐང་རྫོང་ཁག་; Wylie: ''Bum-thang rzong-khag'') is one of the 20 dzongkhag (districts) comprising Bhutan. It contains numerous temples and Buddhist sacred sites. The district is divide ...
, Bhutan.
Other, lesser-known temples in Bhutan have been destroyed, but it is believed that, among others,
Könchogsum in Bumthang,
Khaine in
Lhuntse and two temples in
Haa District may have part of these 108 temples. Jambay Lhakhang was visited by
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ('Born from a Lotus'), also known as Guru Rinpoche ('Precious Guru'), was a legendary tantric Buddhist Vajracharya, Vajra master from Oddiyana. who fully revealed the Vajrayana in Tibet, circa 8th – 9th centuries... He is consi ...
and restored by King Sindhu Raja after the former returned his life force. It has been repaired and rebuilt several times over time.
Jambay Lhakhang Drup
Jampa Lhakhang is known for the famous festival, Jambay Lhakhang Drup held in October every year. It is a five-day festival held from the 15th to the 19th of the 9th Bhutanese month in the courtyard of Jambay Lhakhang. Jambay Lhakhang Drup commemorates the construction of the Lhakhang and honor of
Guru Rinpoche who consecrated the Lhakhang. It is annually held from the 15th to the 19th of the 9th Bhutanese month as per the Bhutanese calendar.
References
Bibliography
*
Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and temples in Bhutan
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