Perched on a hilltop overlooking the beautiful Punakha and Wangduephodrang valley.
The Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Nunnery is perched on a hilltop overlooking the beautiful Punakha valley and Wangduephodrang valley. Surrounded by rich lush green pine forest the nunnery complex is a true expression of Bhutanese architecture portraying strong traditional values.
The temple houses a 14-feet bronze statue of Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig with thousand hands and thousand eyes). Apart from this, the temple is home to several other statues which include those of Guru Padmasambhava, Buddha, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the 21 Taras and Buddha of longevity. The statue of Avalokiteshvara which is claimed to be the biggest in the country was handmade by local Bhutanese artisans.
The Sangchen Dorji Lhuendrup Nunnery was built as a Buddhist College for nuns and currently houses about 120 nuns. The nunnery complex also houses a meditation centre for nuns. Apart from religious schooling, the centre also strives to provide life skills such as tailoring, embroidery, sculpting and Buddhist Thangka painting.
Tourists can take advantage of the tranquil ambience and immerse in meditation programs and also take the opportunity to observe the spiritual lives of nuns while they learn and prepare themselves for life with a variety of skill trainings.
