Nalakhar Tshechu (Nga Lhakhang Zhi) - A three-day festival observed annually with Buddhist rituals, sacred symbolic dances to bring happiness & prosperity and to pray for good harvests

Nalakhar Tshechu (festival) is held at Nga Lhakhang (temple) in Nalakhar village of Bumthang. This three-day annual festival is one of the popular festivals in the Choekhor valley of Bumthang and attracts people from all across the region who attend it in their best finery. This festival is celebrated to bring happiness and prosperity to the village and the country as a whole. It is also a symbolic prayer for good harvest and for the well-being of all sentient beings. 

A picturesque drive of about an hour leading north to the upper Choekhor valley that also passes significant Thangbi temple takes one to Nga Lhakhang or ‘Swan Temple’. To reach the temple, one need to cross the bridge on foot and walk for about 15-minutes through fascinating landscape on the left bank of the river. Nga Lhakhang is a private temple built in 15th century by Lama Namkha Samdrup who hails from Lhodrak Kharchu monastery in southern Tibet and initially settled in north Bumthang but did not find the place convenient so he walked down south and when he reached the place where temple stands today, a beautiful Swan or Ngang-ma came flying in circle and landed there and considering it as an auspicious sign, lama decided to build his residence there which later took form of temple. The temple was later restored in 1970s. This temple resembles a large farmhouse having two storeys and preceded by a large courtyard. The lower temple has beautiful statues of Guru Rinpoche with his two consorts while upper temple is dedicated to protective deities.