THE 10 BEST Hotels in Thimphu 2025

Great Buddha Dordenma is a gigantic Shakyamuni Buddha statue in the mountains of Bhutan celebrating the 60th anniversary of fourth king Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The statue houses over one hundred thousand smaller Buddha statues, each of which, like the Great Buddha Dordenma itself, are made of bronze and gilded in gold. The Great Buddha Dordenma is sited amidst the ruins of Kuensel Phodrang, the palace of Sherab Wangchuck, the thirteenth Desi Druk, overlooking the southern approach to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. Construction began in 2006 and was planned to finish in October 2010, however construction did not conclude until 25 September 2015. The completed work is one of the largest Buddha rupas in the world, at 169 feet (52 m) and contains 100,000 8-inch-tall and 25,000 12-inch-tall gilded bronze Buddhas.

Choki Traditional Art School (CTAS) provides traditional arts & crafts training to the underprivileged youths of Bhutan. The students learn the traditional art of Thanka painting, Wood carving, Embroidery, Tailoring and Textile weaving at the school thereby earning their livelihood skills and help preserve & sustain the rich cultural heritage of Bhutan. A visit to CTAS provides visitors with great insight into the Bhutanese culture, iconographic significance and meanings of all the Thanka paintings, house paintings, intricate wood carvings etc that you see everywhere in Bhutan from the great Dzongs, temples, monasteries to even private homes