National Memorial Chorten
The National Memorial Chorten is a white stupa in central Thimphu, built in 1974 for Bhutan’s Third King. It is the busiest place of daily worship in the city. Allow 30–45 minutes, come early, and walk clockwise. The entry fee is Nu 500, and it is included in your tour.
What makes it worth the stop
Not the architecture. It is a handsome enough Tibetan-style stupa, about 33 m (108 ft) tall, whitewashed, gold-tipped, with big red prayer wheels along the outside and slate carvings of three protective bodhisattvas over the gate.
What makes it worth the stop is who is there. From before dawn until after dark, a steady, unhurried procession of elderly Thimphu residents walks clockwise around the chorten, telling beads, turning the wheels, stopping to sit in the sun on the wall. Some do a hundred circuits a day. This is not staged for anyone; it is what the monument is for, and it is the most ordinary and most affecting religious scene in the capital.
Join the circuit. Walk clockwise — keeping the chorten on your right, always — and take your time. Nobody will mind you being there and several people will smile at you.
Inside, if you go in
Three floors of shrines face the cardinal directions, and they are not gentle. The imagery is tantric and wrathful, larger than life-size — the ground floor given to the Vajrakīlaya teachings, the second to the Drukpa lineage, the top to the Lama Gongdü cycle. It is a compressed education in the fierce end of Himalayan Buddhism, and it is very much not a serene white stupa on the inside.
The stairs between floors are steep. The outside circuit is flat and paved, so if stairs are a problem you lose nothing essential by staying at ground level.
No photography inside. Outside is fine.
When to go
Early morning is the answer. The circuit is fullest, the light is low and warm on the white, and the day’s traffic hasn’t arrived. Late afternoon is the second best.
Year-round otherwise — this is central Thimphu, at street level, and no season makes it better or worse. The annual Monlam prayer festival is held here, which turns the ordinary daily scene into something much larger.
How it fits your day
It’s five minutes from the centre of Thimphu and walkable from most hotels, which makes it the natural first stop of a Thimphu morning before you head up to the Kawajangsa museums and the takin preserve, and finish at Tashichho Dzong or Buddha Dordenma in the evening.
See things to do in Thimphu for how everything compares.
A little history
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Bhutan’s Third King, lived from 1928 to 1972 and died abroad, unexpectedly, while still in his forties.
The chorten was built in 1974 at the request of his mother, Queen Ashi Phuntsho Choden Wangchuck, and consecrated by Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje. It was extensively renovated in 2008.
The detail visitors most often miss: it contains no remains. The shrine holds the late King’s photograph in ceremonial dress and nothing of his body. He is remembered here rather than buried here — and the crowd outside, forty years on, suggests it worked.
Tours that visit Thimphu
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Memorial Chorten dedicated to?
Bhutan's Third King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1928–1972), who died abroad and unexpectedly. It was built in 1974, two years after his death, at the request of his mother, Queen Ashi Phuntsho Choden Wangchuck, and consecrated by Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje.
Is the Third King buried in the Memorial Chorten?
No — and this surprises most visitors. The chorten holds no mortal remains at all. The shrine contains his photograph in ceremonial dress, and nothing else of him. It is a memorial in the literal sense rather than a tomb.
Which way do you walk around the chorten?
Clockwise, always, keeping the monument on your right. Watch what everyone else is doing and follow — the circuit runs from before dawn until after dark and the people walking it are locals, not visitors, so joining in politely is the whole point of the stop.
How long do you need at the Memorial Chorten?
Thirty to forty-five minutes, which is a couple of circuits at a walking pace and time to sit. It's central and level, so it's the easiest thing in Thimphu to fit into a morning.
Is there an entry fee for the Memorial Chorten?
The published fee is Nu 500 per adult — the rate the Department of Tourism set with effect from 15 March 2023, when monument fees were halved and the list of charging sites cut to seven. Children aged 6–18 pay half, and children of five and under go free. You won't hand it over at the gate, though: entrance fees are included in every tour we run, arranged along with your Sustainable Development Fee, visa and permits before you arrive.
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