National Memorial Bhutan

Description

Built-in the memory of Bhutan's beloved king Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the National Memorial Chorten is easily Thimphu's most popular Buddhist site.

It is equally popular with tourists and locals, however, tourists are advised to refrain from visiting at night to provide the locals with some refrain. This is also an incredible location if you want to observe locals in their everyday activities, chat up with people, make some friends and soak in the serenity that comes with Buddhist places of worship.

Highlights :
• All taxes, fuel surcharges and service fees included
• Hotel pickup and drop-off included from the city hotels
• Informative, friendly and professional guide
• Great overview and orientation of the visit
• Guide services for a more personalized experience

Activity :
• Sightseeing & Soft Adventure

Transport :
Air-conditioned transport with driver
• 01 to 03 persons - Sedan cars - Indian make cars like Toyota Etios or Maruti Swift Desire
• 03 to 05 persons - SUV cars - Toyota Innova or similar
• 06 to 10 persons - Tempo Traveller with 10 seats
• 11 to 18 persons - Mini coaches with 18 seater
• 19 to 42 persons - Coaches with 27 or 42 seater
All the vehicles are air-conditioned

Pickup and Departure :
Pick up from mentioned city Centre, Railway Station or your city hotel.
Drop at mentioned city Centre, Railway Station or your city hotel.

• Tour Duration : Half-Day - 4-5 hours
• Guide : English speaking guide included
• Assistance : Yes
• Entrance fees included  : Yes
• Vehicle : Air-conditioned
• Driver with a phone : Yes
• Tour Starts Time : 0900 hrs.

Additional :
• Confirmation will be sent within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability.
• Child below 5 years is free.
• No strict dress code is enforced at tour sites except for places of worship, shorts or sleeveless tops are not recommended.
• We recommend comfortable walking shoes and sunglasses/sunscreen during the visit.
• Entrance fees to the monuments are not included and are to be paid directly. Any camera or video camera fees, if any, are to be paid directly

Timings :
09:00 Am to 05:00 Pm

Things To Carry :
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Comfortable footwear

Advisory :
Special Holidays will not be liable for any dispute arising out of the rental between customer and vendor, guide or any service provider

Confirmation Policy :
The customer receives a confirmation voucher via email within 24 hours of successful booking Rate is based on minimum 2 person sharing. We reserve the right to cancel in case minimum no. of customers required for the visit on any date is not met.

Cancellation Policy :
• If cancellations are made 30 days before the start date of the visit, 25% of the total tour cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
• If cancellations are made 15-30 days before the start date of the visit, 50% of the total tour cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
• If cancellations are made within 0-15 days before the start date of the visit, 100% of the total tour cost will be charged as cancellation fees.

Refund Policy :
•The applicable refund amount will be processed within 15 business days

You are required to furnish correct Email address. As a customer, you agree to accept email as a means of communication and delivery of Travel vouchers and confirmation of your booking. In doing so, you agree not to hold www.specialholidays.com liable for any non-receipt of travel voucher or email confirmation.
As an additional measure to avoid any misuse of the credit card and to protect our customers, we may request for photocopies of your credit card (back and front) and a Credit Card Authorization Payment Form to exclude the possibility of any misuse. As a customer, you agree to cooperate and provide the necessary documents in case required.

The Chorten is whitewashed with a fine golden finial sparkling bright in the sun. Like most traditional Bhutanese architecture it features elaborately carved statues of mandalas on its roof and walls. It's richly painted annexes face in all the four directions. Within it's the inner sanctum lies a shrine dedicated to the ever popular king. The teachings if Vajrakilya is enshrined on the ground floor. There are two more floors each of which holds an immense centrally placed wooden carving. Behind these shrines, the walls depict a horde of wrathful looking deities. The second floor is dedicated to teachings of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyud school to subdue eight varieties of evil spirits and the top floor is dedicated to the teachings of Lama Gongdu. Combined, these three floors form the esoteric teachings of the Nyingmapa sect.

Above the top floor, there is a gallery, which can be walked around the circumference of the chorten and which offers spectacular views of the city.

The origin story of the Chorten says that the king wanted to build "a chorten to represent the mind of the Buddha" and later after his death, the late majesty wish was fulfilled by her Queen mother Ashi Phuentsho Choden Wangchuk. A number of important Bhutanese festivals are held here. This includes the Moenlam Prayer Festival. This is when the religious head of Bhutan provides his blessings to all those assembled for the congregation. So make sure when you are in Thimphu you don't miss out on visiting this incredible memorial.

Chorten Lam

Hours:9am-5pm Mar-Oct,

to 4pm Nov-Feb.