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Phobjikha, Wangdue Phodrang · 27.5000°, 90.1670°
Founded in 1613 by Gyalse Pema Thinley, grandson of the treasure-revealer Pema Lingpa, this fortress-like monastery above the Phobjikha valley is the principal seat of the Pema Lingpa tradition and one of Bhutan's two main Nyingma centres. It was extensively restored between 2002 and 2008 with the support of the fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
Local accounts tell that a guardian deity caused a landslide that exposed the stone needed to build the monastery, and that the valley's black-necked cranes circle it three times on arrival and again before returning to Tibet.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Pema Lingpa lineage