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Chorten Kora is an important
A popular belief is that when the stupa was constructed, a pious Dakini princess from neighboring
Photo of Chorten Kora at the Huntington Archive
Stupas in Bhutan {{Bhutan-geo-stub
stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
next to the Kholongchu River in Trashi Yangtse, in East Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
. Nearby is a town of the same name. The stupa was built in the 15th century by Lama Ngawang Lodrö, the nephew of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal
Ngawang Namgyal (later granted the honorific Zhabdrung Rinpoche, approximately "at whose feet one submits") (; alternate spellings include ''Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel''; 1594–1651) and known colloquially as The Bearded Lama, was a Tibetan Bud ...
in order to subdue a harmful demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
believed to have been living at the site where the stupa is now located. The stupa is modeled after the famous Boudhanath stupa in Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
popularly known as Jarung Khashor.
Chorten Kora took twelve years to construct and was consecrated
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
by Je Yonten Thaye. The demon that had harmed the people of the valley was apparently subdued and banished. Thereafter, it is said that the people of the valley continue to live in peace and harmony.
Chorten Kora Festivals
There is an annual ''Dakpa Kora'' (circumambulation of the Chorten by the Dakpas) festival held on the 15th of the first lunar month, and a Drukpa Kora (circumambulation of the Chorten by the Bhutanese) festival held at the end of the first lunar month which celebrate the stupa. These festivals are attended by Dakpa people of the neighboringTawang District
Tawang district (Pron:/tɑ:ˈwæŋ or təˈwæŋ/) is the smallest of the 26 administrative districts of Arunachal Pradesh state in northeastern India. With a population of 49,977, it is the eighth least populous district in the country (out of ...
of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...
in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and Bhutanese from Trashi Yangtse, Trashigang
Trashigang ( dz, བཀྲ་ཤིས་སྒང་།), or Tashigang, meaning "fortress of auspicious mount," is a town in eastern Bhutan and the district capital of the Trashigang Dzongkhag (district).
The town lies to the east side of the ...
, and Kurtoe.
A popular belief is that when the stupa was constructed, a pious Dakini princess from neighboring Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...
in India entombed herself within, as the Yeshe Semba, to meditate on behalf of all beings. A popular Bhutanese (Dzongkha language
Dzongkha (; ) is a Sino-Tibetan language that is the official and national language of Bhutan. It is written using the Tibetan script.
The word means "the language of the fortress", from ' "fortress" and ' "language". , Dzongkha had 171,080 ...
) film "Chorten Kora" is based on this legend.
See also
*Chendebji Chorten
Chendebji Chorten is a stupa in Bhutan, located west of Trongsa at in elevation.
According to legend, Chendebji Chöten covers the body of an "evil spirit".
Chendebji Chorten is constructed in the style of Nepalese stupas such as Boudhanath. ...
, another Nepalese style chorten
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circuma ...
in Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
References
Lam Kezang Chhophel. 'A Brief History of Rigsum Goenpo Lhakhang and Choeten Kora at Trashi Yangtse.' ''Journal of Bhutan Studies'' vol.6, pp. 1–4. http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/jbs/pdf/JBS_06_01.pdfExternal links
Photo of Chorten Kora at the Huntington Archive
Stupas in Bhutan {{Bhutan-geo-stub