#: locale=en
## Tour
### Description
### Title
tour.name = Lhakhang
## Skin
### Button
Button_02AB2D2F_28D4_7314_41AB_F5A3890F984C.label = Painting 6
Button_02AB2D2F_28D4_7314_41AB_F5A3890F984C_mobile.label = Painting 6
Button_02B3CD0F_28D4_7313_41C0_3761CEDF1064.label = Exterior
Button_02B3CD0F_28D4_7313_41C0_3761CEDF1064_mobile.label = Exterior
Button_02B44D1F_28D4_7333_41A7_A7AF9598E512.label = Additional Features
Button_02B44D1F_28D4_7333_41A7_A7AF9598E512_mobile.label = Additional Features
Button_02B4CD2F_28D4_7314_41AD_D5E39063D266.label = Photo Gallery
Button_02B4CD2F_28D4_7314_41AD_D5E39063D266_mobile.label = Photo Gallery
Button_02B5ED1F_28D4_7333_41AF_8C37527C29C6.label = Buddhism Comes To Bhutan
Button_02B5ED1F_28D4_7333_41AF_8C37527C29C6_mobile.label = Buddhism Comes To Bhutan
Button_02B62D1F_28D4_7333_41B3_9B7375733692.label = The Story of Buddha
Button_02B62D1F_28D4_7333_41B3_9B7375733692_mobile.label = The Story of Buddha
Button_05421D56_28D4_7335_41B6_AC19AB6E9438.label = Video
Button_05421D56_28D4_7335_41B6_AC19AB6E9438_mobile.label = Video
Button_05421D60_28D4_730D_41BE_6B2DDE3CC7DB.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05421D60_28D4_730D_41BE_6B2DDE3CC7DB_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05423D60_28D4_730D_41B9_53347AC8E6F5.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05423D60_28D4_730D_41B9_53347AC8E6F5_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05443D74_28D4_73F5_4179_E961A80E814E.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05443D74_28D4_73F5_4179_E961A80E814E_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05443D74_28D4_73F5_41A7_45AC31F9D84D.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_05443D74_28D4_73F5_41A7_45AC31F9D84D_mobile.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_05443D74_28D4_73F5_41A7_93AEB18A4E4E.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05443D74_28D4_73F5_41A7_93AEB18A4E4E_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05444D74_28D4_73F5_41A0_ACE67F1E2025.label = Video
Button_05444D74_28D4_73F5_41A0_ACE67F1E2025_mobile.label = Video
Button_05447D74_28D4_73F5_4192_72A99ABF755B.label = Photo Gallery
Button_05447D74_28D4_73F5_4192_72A99ABF755B.pressedLabel = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05447D74_28D4_73F5_4192_72A99ABF755B_mobile.label = Photo Gallery
Button_05447D74_28D4_73F5_4192_72A99ABF755B_mobile.pressedLabel = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05447D74_28D4_73F5_41C0_6F3946443BE2.label = Video
Button_05447D74_28D4_73F5_41C0_6F3946443BE2_mobile.label = Video
Button_05448D6A_28D4_731D_41C1_7B3479B4BE18.label = Information
Button_05448D6A_28D4_731D_41C1_7B3479B4BE18_mobile.label = Information
Button_05448D74_28D4_73F5_41C1_8080D4247F68.label = Audio
Button_05448D74_28D4_73F5_41C1_8080D4247F68_mobile.label = Audio
Button_05449D74_28D4_73F5_4158_EFF224C36500.label = Audio
Button_05449D74_28D4_73F5_4158_EFF224C36500_mobile.label = Audio
Button_05449D74_28D4_73F5_41A2_4D01BAA388B2.label = Photo Gallery
Button_05449D74_28D4_73F5_41A2_4D01BAA388B2.pressedLabel = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05449D74_28D4_73F5_41A2_4D01BAA388B2_mobile.label = Photo Gallery
Button_05449D74_28D4_73F5_41A2_4D01BAA388B2_mobile.pressedLabel = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0544AD74_28D4_73F5_41B1_D72327C642DB.label = Information
Button_0544AD74_28D4_73F5_41B1_D72327C642DB_mobile.label = Information
Button_0544BD60_28D4_730D_41B1_1D63D04A435C.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_0544BD60_28D4_730D_41B1_1D63D04A435C_mobile.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_0544DD60_28D4_730D_41C4_63898DEDB53F.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0544DD60_28D4_730D_41C4_63898DEDB53F_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0544ED56_28D4_7335_41A7_498C84AA8349.label = Audio
Button_0544ED56_28D4_7335_41A7_498C84AA8349_mobile.label = Audio
Button_0544ED60_28D4_730D_41C4_1B4CDBDC29B8.label = Photo Gallery
Button_0544ED60_28D4_730D_41C4_1B4CDBDC29B8.pressedLabel = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0544ED60_28D4_730D_41C4_1B4CDBDC29B8_mobile.label = Photo Gallery
Button_0544ED60_28D4_730D_41C4_1B4CDBDC29B8_mobile.pressedLabel = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0544FD60_28D4_730D_418B_985BF6DF3E28.label = Video
Button_0544FD60_28D4_730D_418B_985BF6DF3E28_mobile.label = Video
Button_05451D6A_28D4_731D_41A4_4646EDD1BCE0.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05451D6A_28D4_731D_41A4_4646EDD1BCE0_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05451D6A_28D4_731D_41BB_81C19B3CE66C.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05451D6A_28D4_731D_41BB_81C19B3CE66C_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05452D56_28D4_7335_4193_07D4C3497063.label = Information
Button_05452D56_28D4_7335_4193_07D4C3497063_mobile.label = Information
Button_05454D6A_28D4_731D_41B8_ABCAA96AD915.label = Video
Button_05454D6A_28D4_731D_41B8_ABCAA96AD915_mobile.label = Video
Button_05454D6A_28D4_731D_41C1_139E1D0A2749.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05454D6A_28D4_731D_41C1_139E1D0A2749_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05455D6A_28D4_731D_41A1_6C3A6A072395.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_05455D6A_28D4_731D_41A1_6C3A6A072395_mobile.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_05456D6A_28D4_731D_41BE_39243BBCAA27.label = Photo Gallery
Button_05456D6A_28D4_731D_41BE_39243BBCAA27.pressedLabel = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05456D6A_28D4_731D_41BE_39243BBCAA27_mobile.label = Photo Gallery
Button_05456D6A_28D4_731D_41BE_39243BBCAA27_mobile.pressedLabel = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0545AD60_28D4_730D_41BD_D5BA8678B6F8.label = Information
Button_0545AD60_28D4_730D_41BD_D5BA8678B6F8_mobile.label = Information
Button_0545BD56_28D4_7335_41A1_5D4ADD337108.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0545BD56_28D4_7335_41A1_5D4ADD337108_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0545BD56_28D4_7335_41B0_3ABC12CFA36F.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0545BD56_28D4_7335_41B0_3ABC12CFA36F_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0545BD6A_28D4_731D_41A5_F58E550D0EA5.label = Audio
Button_0545BD6A_28D4_731D_41A5_F58E550D0EA5_mobile.label = Audio
Button_0545CD56_28D4_7335_41B4_378DDA7FDB67.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_0545CD56_28D4_7335_41B4_378DDA7FDB67_mobile.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_0545CD56_28D4_7335_41B6_7C4304E4C32C.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0545CD56_28D4_7335_41B6_7C4304E4C32C_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05463D7E_28D4_73F5_41C3_AA4D50A9CF2F.label = Photo Gallery
Button_05463D7E_28D4_73F5_41C3_AA4D50A9CF2F.pressedLabel = Reception
Button_05463D7E_28D4_73F5_41C3_AA4D50A9CF2F_mobile.label = Photo Gallery
Button_05463D7E_28D4_73F5_41C3_AA4D50A9CF2F_mobile.pressedLabel = Reception
Button_05464D7E_28D4_73F5_419D_B174C9C4AC13.label = Audio
Button_05464D7E_28D4_73F5_419D_B174C9C4AC13_mobile.label = Audio
Button_0546DD7E_28D4_73F5_41AA_1CC039253188.label = Information
Button_0546DD7E_28D4_73F5_41AA_1CC039253188_mobile.label = Information
Button_05476D74_28D4_73F5_41BF_E1D29D562BFC.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05476D74_28D4_73F5_41BF_E1D29D562BFC_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0547DD74_28D4_73F5_41B0_AE65BA9B7062.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0547DD74_28D4_73F5_41B0_AE65BA9B7062_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0547ED74_28D4_73F5_41BB_1D075A6D8721.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_0547ED74_28D4_73F5_41BB_1D075A6D8721_mobile.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_0547FD74_28D4_73F5_419A_896CEA97BF9E.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0547FD74_28D4_73F5_419A_896CEA97BF9E_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0547FD74_28D4_73F5_419E_C67560A02F52.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_0547FD74_28D4_73F5_419E_C67560A02F52_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_05483D7E_28D4_73F5_4191_BA2EBFAA6E36.label = Kachen
Button_05483D7E_28D4_73F5_4191_BA2EBFAA6E36_mobile.label = Kachen
Button_0548FD7E_28D4_73F5_41B6_1E28580FD837.label = Terrace
Button_0548FD7E_28D4_73F5_41B6_1E28580FD837_mobile.label = Terrace
Button_05493D7E_28D4_73F5_41B7_E0A917A870F8.label = Chill Out
Button_05493D7E_28D4_73F5_41B7_E0A917A870F8_mobile.label = Chill Out
Button_05495D7E_28D4_73F5_41A1_06BFAE35CA0E.label = Bar
Button_05495D7E_28D4_73F5_41A1_06BFAE35CA0E_mobile.label = Bar
Button_0549AD7E_28D4_73F5_41A0_EBFF4AB67705.label = Video
Button_0549AD7E_28D4_73F5_41A0_EBFF4AB67705_mobile.label = Video
Button_0549BD7E_28D4_73F5_4183_BC13B9A47F63.label = Meeting Area 2
Button_0549BD7E_28D4_73F5_4183_BC13B9A47F63_mobile.label = Meeting Area 2
Button_054AED88_28D4_731D_41B3_C42AE7D140B6.label = Painting 4
Button_054AED88_28D4_731D_41B3_C42AE7D140B6_mobile.label = Painting 4
Button_054BED88_28D4_731D_41B4_5925A9850E79.label = Furnishings
Button_054BED88_28D4_731D_41B4_5925A9850E79_mobile.label = Furnishings
Button_054C1D92_28D4_730D_41C0_3139C7B44F47.label = Painting 6
Button_054C1D92_28D4_730D_41C0_3139C7B44F47_mobile.label = Painting 6
Button_054CCD88_28D4_731D_41C0_B2BF73F65115.label = Painting 6
Button_054CCD88_28D4_731D_41C0_B2BF73F65115_mobile.label = Painting 6
Button_054DCD88_28D4_731D_4170_52E71623B7A6.label = Painting 5
Button_054DCD88_28D4_731D_4170_52E71623B7A6_mobile.label = Painting 5
Button_055E4D4C_28D4_7315_41A7_57D74F7FE26C.label = Photo Gallery
Button_055E4D4C_28D4_7315_41A7_57D74F7FE26C.pressedLabel = Lorem Ipsum
Button_055E4D4C_28D4_7315_41A7_57D74F7FE26C_mobile.label = Photo Gallery
Button_055E4D4C_28D4_7315_41A7_57D74F7FE26C_mobile.pressedLabel = Lorem Ipsum
Button_055F0D4C_28D4_7315_41BD_286C988F2222.label = Information
Button_055F0D4C_28D4_7315_41BD_286C988F2222_mobile.label = Information
Button_055F1D4C_28D4_7315_41C1_3CD6400C236A.label = Audio
Button_055F1D4C_28D4_7315_41C1_3CD6400C236A_mobile.label = Audio
Button_055F9D4C_28D4_7315_41B5_2C42B18EDDAE.label = The Choesham
Button_055F9D4C_28D4_7315_41B5_2C42B18EDDAE_mobile.label = The Choesham
Button_23F057B8_0C0A_629D_41A2_CD6BDCDB0145.label = lorem ipsum
Button_6144F794_41B9_403A_41A2_99C5904B4296_mobile.label = lorem ipsum
Button_B132AE70_9212_A696_41DB_09B48F88E466_mobile.label = lorem ipsum
Button_B1678AAA_9212_AF8A_41B5_2BF057BDFEB9_mobile.label = lorem ipsum
Button_B1E813CA_9212_DD8A_41D7_FE4A6EE321C8_mobile.label = lorem ipsum
Button_B66DC909_9216_6A76_41D4_28EB6084D543_mobile.label = lorem ipsum
Button_B6E03BF2_9212_6D9A_418E_863AAE7A3EC3_mobile.label = lorem ipsum
Button_C002A8B3_FC7C_8ACF_41CB_F56B53F4477C.label = Floor Plan
Button_C002A8B3_FC7C_8ACF_41CB_F56B53F4477C_mobile.label = Floor Plan
Button_C0326B5E_FC7C_8E79_41DF_0F0C1B69DFBE.label = Settings
Button_C0326B5E_FC7C_8E79_41DF_0F0C1B69DFBE_mobile.label = Settings
Button_C069D8D7_FC7D_8A77_41E1_ECF8F18F0C28.label = Help
Button_C069D8D7_FC7D_8A77_41E1_ECF8F18F0C28_mobile.label = Help
Button_C139106C_FC7F_7A59_41E1_DB8E600CB0EB.label = Panoramas
Button_C139106C_FC7F_7A59_41E1_DB8E600CB0EB_mobile.label = Panoramas
Button_C545E250_FC63_BE49_41EC_7E94348ACBEC.label = Info
Button_C545E250_FC63_BE49_41EC_7E94348ACBEC_mobile.label = Info
Button_C7CACF2A_FC7C_87D9_41D9_DC02AAEFD01B.label = Location
Button_C7CACF2A_FC7C_87D9_41D9_DC02AAEFD01B_mobile.label = Location
Button_CBFAFFA6_EECA_26D5_41EB_208CC66E26CD.label = lorem ipsum
Button_E6E038BA_FB57_924E_41E9_509C68F15CF8.label = Painting V
Button_E6E038BA_FB57_924E_41E9_509C68F15CF8_mobile.label = Painting V
Button_E6E0E8BC_FB57_924A_41D4_1E5D350E30E2.label = Painting VI
Button_E6E0E8BC_FB57_924A_41D4_1E5D350E30E2_mobile.label = Painting VI
Button_E6E248B1_FB57_925A_41E3_D29AD0DC3C12.label = Chill Out
Button_E6E248B1_FB57_925A_41E3_D29AD0DC3C12_mobile.label = Chill Out
Button_E6E258B0_FB57_925A_41E9_59B3E3CF81DD.label = Bar
Button_E6E258B0_FB57_925A_41E9_59B3E3CF81DD_mobile.label = Bar
Button_E6E298B6_FB57_9246_41E7_2A692717D66F.label = Painting III
Button_E6E298B6_FB57_9246_41E7_2A692717D66F_mobile.label = Painting III
Button_E6E368B8_FB57_924A_41EE_6054D9AAA1EA.label = Painting IV
Button_E6E368B8_FB57_924A_41EE_6054D9AAA1EA_mobile.label = Painting IV
Button_E6E378B1_FB57_925A_41D4_42C63C9922DD.label = Terrace
Button_E6E378B1_FB57_925A_41D4_42C63C9922DD_mobile.label = Terrace
Button_E6E408AA_FB57_924E_41E5_AF0C6FA3A220.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_E6E408AA_FB57_924E_41E5_AF0C6FA3A220_mobile.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_E6E418A1_FB57_927A_41CD_D74051F67B2C.label = Photo Gallery
Button_E6E418A1_FB57_927A_41CD_D74051F67B2C_mobile.label = Photo Gallery
Button_E6E448A9_FB57_924A_41D9_A13ADA4FB63C.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E448A9_FB57_924A_41D9_A13ADA4FB63C_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E498AB_FB57_924E_41C1_6CD481428141.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E498AB_FB57_924E_41C1_6CD481428141_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E528AA_FB57_924E_41DB_E740B8CF1E8D.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E528AA_FB57_924E_41DB_E740B8CF1E8D_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E528B0_FB57_925A_41C2_AD5C043A5DD2.label = Meeting Area 2
Button_E6E528B0_FB57_925A_41C2_AD5C043A5DD2_mobile.label = Meeting Area 2
Button_E6E578B3_FB57_925E_41EA_F6F61C1CD9EE.label = Painting II
Button_E6E578B3_FB57_925E_41EA_F6F61C1CD9EE_mobile.label = Painting II
Button_E6E598AD_FB57_924A_41D7_F87E78764F88.label = Audio
Button_E6E598AD_FB57_924A_41D7_F87E78764F88_mobile.label = Audio
Button_E6E5B8AC_FB57_924A_41E0_ACF3653E71C7.label = Information
Button_E6E5B8AC_FB57_924A_41E0_ACF3653E71C7_mobile.label = Information
Button_E6E5B8AE_FB57_9246_4169_8813D680877A.label = Photo Gallery
Button_E6E5B8AE_FB57_9246_4169_8813D680877A_mobile.label = Photo Gallery
Button_E6E5B8AF_FB57_9246_4178_4FEFE65D258A.label = Video
Button_E6E5B8AF_FB57_9246_4178_4FEFE65D258A_mobile.label = Video
Button_E6E6189E_FB57_9246_41D8_F63FF31C9B42_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
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Button_E6E668A5_FB57_927A_41DA_B35C71629193_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E68896_FB57_9246_41E1_ED146F5A9E3D.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E68896_FB57_9246_41E1_ED146F5A9E3D_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E6989D_FB57_924A_41D8_6EF6251BE185.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_E6E6989D_FB57_924A_41D8_6EF6251BE185_mobile.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_E6E6B8A1_FB57_927A_41D1_61478196932C.label = Audio
Button_E6E6B8A1_FB57_927A_41D1_61478196932C_mobile.label = Audio
Button_E6E6C8A0_FB57_927A_41BD_2E9F0659459C.label = Information
Button_E6E6C8A0_FB57_927A_41BD_2E9F0659459C_mobile.label = Information
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Button_E6E728A7_FB57_9246_41C3_E43CE9D2ACB2.label = Audio
Button_E6E728A7_FB57_9246_41C3_E43CE9D2ACB2_mobile.label = Audio
Button_E6E728A8_FB57_924A_41CF_8F9E1A3D04D4.label = Photo Gallery
Button_E6E728A8_FB57_924A_41CF_8F9E1A3D04D4_mobile.label = Photo Gallery
Button_E6E728A9_FB57_924A_41EA_2C631F31FD76.label = Video
Button_E6E728A9_FB57_924A_41EA_2C631F31FD76_mobile.label = Video
Button_E6E738A6_FB57_9246_41E1_71EBC34D4EA1.label = Information
Button_E6E738A6_FB57_9246_41E1_71EBC34D4EA1_mobile.label = Information
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Button_E6E768A3_FB57_927E_41C5_52ECFD93C347_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E798A2_FB57_927E_41DA_5FCEEC8793CA.label = Video
Button_E6E798A2_FB57_927E_41DA_5FCEEC8793CA_mobile.label = Video
Button_E6E7F8A4_FB57_927A_41D1_FDF84B474188.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E7F8A4_FB57_927A_41D1_FDF84B474188_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E81898_FB57_924A_41E8_C4901174EDAB.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E81898_FB57_924A_41E8_C4901174EDAB_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E8588A_FB57_924E_41CA_2B92B3056F5B.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E8588A_FB57_924E_41CA_2B92B3056F5B_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E86897_FB57_9246_41DB_4C270993EA46.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_E6E86897_FB57_9246_41DB_4C270993EA46_mobile.label = Lorem ipsum
Button_E6E8889A_FB57_924E_41E3_809378162735.label = Information
Button_E6E8889A_FB57_924E_41E3_809378162735_mobile.label = Information
Button_E6E8A889_FB57_924A_41EC_F06DD75C4609.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E8A889_FB57_924A_41EC_F06DD75C4609_mobile.label = Lorem Ipsum
Button_E6E9188E_FB57_9246_41E2_7E9771506B3C.label = Information
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Lhakhang
500 W University Ave
El Paso, TX 79968
The Lhakhang Cultural Exhibit at The University of Texas at El Paso is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday and from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first Saturday of each month, except on holidays.
The exhibit is overseen by the Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens.
Parking is available at the Centennial Museum parking lot.
Information: Claudia Ley, Museum Education Curator, 915-747-8994 or cley@utep.edu
lhakhang
500 W University Ave
El Paso, TX 79968
The Lhakhang Cultural Exhibit at The University of Texas at El Paso is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday and from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first Saturday of each month, except on holidays.
The exhibit is overseen by the Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens.
Parking is available at the Centennial Museum parking lot.
Information: Claudia Ley, Museum Education Curator, 915-747-8994 or cley@utep.edu
___
Lhakhang History and Significance
The beautiful Lhakhang sits proudly on UTEP’s Centennial Plaza, surrounded by dozens of other buildings in the Bhutanese architectural style. It is a cultural artifact that reflects thousands of years of traditional craftsmanship, such as hand-carved wooden elements and hand-painted fabric wall murals. The Lhakhang at UTEP is typical of the hundreds of lhakhangs found in Bhutan, and is the only structure of its kind found outside the small Himalayan country.
In the summer of 2008, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., showcased the Kingdom of Bhutan, where Bhutanese craftsmen – carpenters, painters and other skilled artisans – constructed an authentic lhakhang on the National Mall. At the opening ceremonies of the festival, His Royal Highness Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck presented the lhakhang as a gift to the United States.
“We offer it as a symbol of our hopes for a future relationship, as stable, as durable and as sweet as the Himalayan pine that it is made of,” he said. “We are very happy that this [lhakhang] will have a home in the beautiful and, I dare say, Bhutanese campus of The University of Texas at El Paso.”
The Lhakhang was re-erected on the UTEP campus in 2015 as part of the University’s campus transformation project in conjunction with its Centennial Celebration.
Lhakhang History and Significance
The beautiful Lhakhang sits proudly on UTEP’s Centennial Plaza, surrounded by dozens of other buildings in the Bhutanese architectural style. It is a cultural artifact that reflects thousands of years of traditional craftsmanship, such as hand-carved wooden elements and hand-painted fabric wall murals. The Lhakhang at UTEP is typical of the hundreds of lhakhangs found in Bhutan, and is the only structure of its kind found outside the small Himalayan country.
In the summer of 2008, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., showcased the Kingdom of Bhutan, where Bhutanese craftsmen – carpenters, painters and other skilled artisans – constructed an authentic lhakhang on the National Mall. At the opening ceremonies of the festival, His Royal Highness Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck presented the lhakhang as a gift to the United States.
“We offer it as a symbol of our hopes for a future relationship, as stable, as durable and as sweet as the Himalayan pine that it is made of,” he said. “We are very happy that this [lhakhang] will have a home in the beautiful and, I dare say, Bhutanese campus of The University of Texas at El Paso.”
The Lhakhang was re-erected on the UTEP campus in 2015 as part of the University’s campus transformation project in conjunction with its Centennial Celebration.
Smithsonian
Folklife Festival
The Story Behind
The Lhakhang
From Bhutan to the
Capital to El Paso
From Bhutan to the
Capital to El Paso
Architecture
Some of the structure’s most important architectural elements appear on the exterior: the roof, the golden-colored pinnacle, the windows, the doors, the railings, the dragon heads and a red band with white circles.
Roof
There are several types of roofs that are used in traditional Bhutanese architecture. The main roof of the lhakhang is known as a ‘lung-go’. Described as a ‘flying roof’ for its raised two part roof with the top part not extending the full length of the bottom. The lung-go roof of the lhakhang is constructed of corrugated metal, which has become a preferred roofing material in modern Bhutan. The maroon-colored paint is used to indicate that it is an important public building. At the very top of the large roof there is also a smaller ‘chenkhep’ sometimes referred to as the secondary ‘lean to’ roof, added to a building to provide some additional protection from rain.
Gold-colored Pinnacle
The gold-colored pinnacle that sits on top of the lung-go roof is known in Bhutan as a ‘sertog,’ which is the highest architectural element used in traditional Bhutanese architecture and is only on very important official and ceremonial structures such as dzongs, buildings used by Bhutan’s Royal Family, and some monastic structures. The sertog that appears on the main lung-go roof on the lhakhang was hand-crafted in Bhutan out of copper and then painted with a gold colored paint.
Windows
There are two distinct types of windows in the lhakhang that are characteristic of traditional Bhutanese architecture: ‘geykar’ and ‘rabsel’.
The geykar is a rectangular-shaped window that is individually designed and handcrafted and then (when finished) embedded intot he wall of a building. Its openings are characteristically narrow and are divided into two parallel sets of openings which have two or more layers (the geykar windows in the lhakhang are divided into three layers). Geykar windows are used in all types of buildings all over Bhutan in remote rural as well as village and more urban areas.
While geykar windows are frequently very plain crafted in Bhutan, the four geykar windows that were designed and crafted for installation in the lhakhang are all very richly carved and painted denoting the prestige associated with the building by the Bhutanese. The exterior surfaces and frames of the four geykar windows feature hand-carved and painted images of various popular Bhutanese cultural icons. The include the wheel (‘dharma’), the thunderbolt or diamond (‘vajra’ in Sanskrit), some animals and birds, various iterations of the so-called auspicious or ‘lucky’ signs, and customary floral motifs incorporating the five main colors that make up the Bhutanese artistic palate (white, yellow, blue, red, and green).
The far more elaborate rabsel window dominates the front side of the lhakhang. In an architectural context, a rabsel is a carefully designed and handcrafted assembly or cluster of windows and panels which are much larger and incorporate more stylized elements. Rabsels also protrude slightly out of the wall in which they are built to create a greater sense of enlarged openesess in the building.
Many of the elaborately carved and painted images that appear on the exterior surface of the rabsel window frames are symbolic objects also seen elsewhere in the lhakhang. These include several druk (dragons) and phoenix birds, various representations of the eight auspicious signs (wheel, umbrella, pair of fish, conch shell, banner, lotus flower, treasure vase, and endless-knot drawing). However, the rabsel also includes a cluster of several other important and very carefully carved and painted images that are known as the ‘Four Dignities’ and are represented symbolically by a snow lion, garuda, dragon, and tiger. The Four Dignities are symbolized by images of these mythological animals that live deep within Bhutanese popular consciousness and represent various qualities and attitude attributed to enlightened minds and individuals such as strength, confidence, charity and cheerfulness, and appear on either side of a double-thunderbolt, or visvavajra.
Doors
There are two ‘gorago’ or doors in the lhakhang with one on each end of the building. As customary with traditional Bhutanese gorago door design, both doors swing open and inwards from the middle and are secured with a padlock. The exterior frames around the gorago doors that are installed at each end of the lhakhang feature two carved and painted images of the druk (dragon), which is the national symbol of Bhutan. The golden druk are surrounded by customary Bhutanese decorative motifs painted with shades of the five main colors that make up the Bhutanese artistic palate. There also is a customary image of two deer facing a wheel which is carved and painted at the top of the door frames.
Railings
There are two sets of traditional Bhutanese balcony railings that are installed just outside the gorago doors on both ends of the building. The railings are known in Bhutan as ‘jha dha tazi’ and where handcrafted from timber (blue pine) and then painted in the traditional style with customary detailing appropriate for the prestige attached to the building.
Dragon Heads
There are four elaborately carved and painted ‘druk’ or dragon heads that were originally handcrafted in Bhutan for placement at each of the four corners of the lhakhang directly under the eaves of the bottom part of the lung-go roof. Carved from timber (blue pine) that also was felled and milled by hand in Bhutan for construction of the lhakhang. The inclusion of important iconographic carved sculptures like the druk are found on important public buildings throughout Bhutan. Most such carved architectural ornaments in Bhutan are highly stylized mythological animals or birds that reflect the historical importance of nature adn the environment to Bhiutanese cultural an artistic expression.
Red Band with White Circles
A painted red band with white circles that is known as a ‘kermar’ encircles the building in the space below the lung-go roof. It is located on one side by the uppermost parts of the rabsel window. Such a red band is an honorific is an honorific element applied only to the most important buildings in Bhutan. The white circles -- deliberately left empty and without any color or other structural or symbolic elements -- are simple abstract representations of the understating that all phenomena are transient in time and space.
The Story Behind
The Lhakhang
Smithsonian
Folklife Festival
Architechture
Some of the structure’s most important architectural elements appear on the exterior: the roof, the golden-colored pinnacle, the windows, the doors, the railings, the dragon heads and a red band with white circles.
Roof
There are several types of roofs that are used in traditional Bhutanese architecture. The main roof of the lhakhang is known as a ‘lung-go’. Described as a ‘flying roof’ for its raised two part roof with the top part not extending the full length of the bottom. The lung-go roof of the lhakhang is constructed of corrugated metal, which has become a preferred roofing material in modern Bhutan. The maroon-colored paint is used to indicate that it is an important public building. At the very top of the large roof there is also a smaller ‘chenkhep’ sometimes referred to as the secondary ‘lean to’ roof, added to a building to provide some additional protection from rain.
Gold-colored Pinnacle
The gold-colored pinnacle that sits on top of the lung-go roof is known in Bhutan as a ‘sertog,’ whic is the highest architectural element used in traditional Bhutanese architecture and is only on very important official and ceremonial structures such as dzongs, buildings used by Bhutan’s Royal Family, and some monastic structures. The sertog that appears on the main lung-go roof on the lhakhang was hand-crafted in Bhutan out of copper and then painted with a gold colored paint.
Windows
There are two distinct types of windows in the lhakhang that are characteristic of traditional Bhutanese architecture: ‘geykar’ and ‘rabsel’.
The geykar is a rectangular-shaped window that is individually designed and handcrafted and then (when finished) embedded intot he wall of a building. Its openings are characteristically narrow and are divided into two parallel sets of openings which have two or more layers (the geykar windows in the lhakhang are divided into three layers). Geykar windows are used in all types of buildings all over Bhutan in remote rural as well as village and more urban areas.
While geykar windows are frequently very plain crafted in Bhutan, the four geykar windows that were designed and crafted for installation in the lhakhang are all very richly carved and painted denoting the prestige associated with the building by the Bhutanese. The exterior surfaces and frames of the four geykar windows feature hand-carved and painted images of various popular Bhutanese cultural icons. The include the wheel (‘dharma’), the thunderbolt or diamond (‘vajra’ in Sanskrit), some animals and birds, various iterations of the so-called auspicious or ‘lucky’ signs, and customary floral motifs incorporating the five main colors that make up the Bhutanese artistic palate (white, yellow, blue, red, and green).
The far more elaborate rabsel window dominates the front side of the lhakhang. In an architectural context, a rabsel is a carefully designed and handcrafted assembly or cluster of windows and panels which are much larger and incorporate more stylized elements. Rabsels also protrude slightly out of the wall in which they are built to create a greater sense of enlarged openesess in the building.
Many of the elaborately carved and painted images that appear on the exterior surface of the rabsel window frames are symbolic objects also seen elsewhere in the lhakhang. These include several druk (dragons) and phoenix birds, various representations of the eight auspicious signs (wheel, umbrella, pair of fish, conch shell, banner, lotus flower, treasure vase, and endless-knot drawing). However, the rabsel also includes a cluster of several other important and very carefully carved and painted images that are known as the ‘Four Dignities’ and are represented symbolically by a snow lion, garuda, dragon, and tiger. The Four Dignities are symbolized by images of these mythological animals that live deep within Bhutanese popular consciousness and represent various qualities and attitude attributed to enlightened minds and individuals such as strength, confidence, charity and cheerfulness, and appear on either side of a double-thunderbolt, or visvavajra.
Doors
There are two ‘gorago’ or doors in the lhakhang with one on each end of the building. As customary with traditional Bhutanese gorago door design, both doors swing open and inwards from the middle and are secured with a padlock. The exterior frames around the gorago doors that are installed at each end of the lhakhang feature two carved and painted images of the druk (dragon), which is the national symbol of Bhutan. The golden druk are surrounded by customary Bhutanese decorative motifs painted with shades of the five main colors that make up the Bhutanese artistic palate. There also is a customary image of two deer facing a wheel which is carved and painted at the top of the door frames.
Railings
There are two sets of traditional Bhutanese balcony railings that are installed just outside the gorago doors on both ends of the building. The railings are known in Bhutan as ‘jha dha tazi’ and where handcrafted from timber (blue pine) and then painted in the traditional style with customary detailing appropriate for the prestige attached to the building.
Dragon Heads
There are four elaborately carved and painted ‘druk’ or dragon heads that were originally handcrafted in Bhutan for placement at each of the four corners of the lhakhang directly under the eaves of the bottom part of the lung-go roof. Carved from timber (blue pine) that also was felled and milled by hand in Bhutan for construction of the lhakhang. The inclusion of important iconographic carved sculptures like the druk are found on important public buildings throughout Bhutan. Most such carved architectural ornaments in Bhutan are highly stylized mythological animals or birds that reflect the historical importance of nature adn the environment to Bhiutanese cultural an artistic expression.
Red Band with White Circles
A painted red band with white circles that is known as a ‘kermar’ encircles the building int he space below the lung-go roof. It is located on one side by the uppermost parts of the rabsel window. Such a red band is honorific is an honorific element applied only to the most important buildings in Bhutan. The white circles -- deliberately left empty and without any color or other structural or symbolic elements -- are simple abstract representations of the understating that all phenomena are transient in time and space.
windows
There are two distinct types of windows in the lhakhang that are characteristic of traditional Bhutanese architecture: ‘geykar’ and ‘rabsel’.
The geykar is a rectangular-shaped window that is individually designed and handcrafted and then (when finished) embedded intot he wall of a building. Its openings are characteristically narrow and are divided into two parallel sets of openings which have two or more layers (the geykar windows in the lhakhang are divided into three layers). Geykar windows are used in all types of buildings all over Bhutan in remote rural as well as village and more urban areas.
While geykar windows are frequently very plain crafted in Bhutan, the four geykar windows that were designed and crafted for installation in the lhakhang are all very richly carved and painted denoting the prestige associated with the building by the Bhutanese. The exterior surfaces and frames of the four geykar windows feature hand-carved and painted images of various popular Bhutanese cultural icons. The include the wheel (‘dharma’), the thunderbolt or diamond (‘vajra’ in Sanskrit), some animals and birds, various iterations of the so-called auspicious or ‘lucky’ signs, and customary floral motifs incorporating the five main colors that make up the Bhutanese artistic palate (white, yellow, blue, red, and green).
The far more elaborate rabsel window dominates the front side of the lhakhang. In an architectural context, a rabsel is a carefully designed and handcrafted assembly or cluster of windows and panels which are much larger and incorporate more stylized elements. Rabsels also protrude slightly out of the wall in which they are built to create a greater sense of enlarged openesess in the building.
Many of the elaborately carved and painted images that appear on the exterior surface of the rabsel window frames are symbolic objects also seen elsewhere in the lhakhang. These include several druk (dragons) and phoenix birds, various representations of the eight auspicious signs (wheel, umbrella, pair of fish, conch shell, banner, lotus flower, treasure vase, and endless-knot drawing). However, the rabsel also includes a cluster of several other important and very carefully carved and painted images that are known as the ‘Four Dignities’ and are represented symbolically by a snow lion, garuda, dragon, and tiger. The Four Dignities are symbolized by images of these mythological animals that live deep within Bhutanese popular consciousness and represent various qualities and attitude attributed to enlightened minds and individuals such as strength, confidence, charity and cheerfulness, and appear on either side of a double-thunderbolt, or visvavajra.
Red Band With
White Circles
A painted red band with white circles that is known as a ‘kermar’ encircles the building in the space below the lung-go roof. It is located on one side by the uppermost parts of the rabsel window. Such a red band is an honorific is an honorific element applied only to the most important buildings in Bhutan. The white circles -- deliberately left empty and without any color or other structural or symbolic elements -- are simple abstract representations of the understating that all phenomena are transient in time and space.
Railings
There are two sets of traditional Bhutanese balcony railings that are installed just outside the gorago doors on both ends of the building. The railings are known in Bhutan as ‘jha dha tazi’ and where handcrafted from timber (blue pine) and then painted in the traditional style with customary detailing appropriate for the prestige attached to the building.
doors
There are two ‘gorago’ or doors to the Lhakhang, with one at each end of the building. As customary with traditional Bhutanese design, both doors swing open and inwards from the middle and are secured with a padlock. The exterior frames around both goragos feature two carved and painted images of the druk (dragon), the national symbol of Bhutan. A customary decorative motif, painted with the five main colors in Bhutanese artistic palate (white, yellow, blue, red, and green) surrounds these golden druk. Above the doorframes are images of two deer facing a ‘dharma’ wheel, symbolizing the teaching of the Buddha. All of these images signify that one is entering into a place of learning, wisdom, and compassion.
Dragon Heads
There are four elaborately carved and painted ‘druk’ or dragon heads that were originally handcrafted in Bhutan for placement at each of the four corners of the lhakhang directly under the eaves of the bottom part of the lung-go roof. Carved from timber (blue pine) that also was felled and milled by hand in Bhutan for construction of the lhakhang. The inclusion of important iconographic carved sculptures like the druk are found on important public buildings throughout Bhutan. Most such carved architectural ornaments in Bhutan are highly stylized mythological animals or birds that reflect the historical importance of nature adn the environment to Bhiutanese cultural an artistic expression.
windows
There are two distinct types of windows in the lhakhang that are characteristic of traditional Bhutanese architecture: ‘geykar’ and ‘rabsel’.
The geykar is a rectangular-shaped window that is individually designed and handcrafted and then (when finished) embedded intot he wall of a building. Its openings are characteristically narrow and are divided into two parallel sets of openings which have two or more layers (the geykar windows in the lhakhang are divided into three layers). Geykar windows are used in all types of buildings all over Bhutan in remote rural as well as village and more urban areas.
While geykar windows are frequently very plain crafted in Bhutan, the four geykar windows that were designed and crafted for installation in the lhakhang are all very richly carved and painted denoting the prestige associated with the building by the Bhutanese. The exterior surfaces and frames of the four geykar windows feature hand-carved and painted images of various popular Bhutanese cultural icons. The include the wheel (‘dharma’), the thunderbolt or diamond (‘vajra’ in Sanskrit), some animals and birds, various iterations of the so-called auspicious or ‘lucky’ signs, and customary floral motifs incorporating the five main colors that make up the Bhutanese artistic palate (white, yellow, blue, red, and green).
The far more elaborate rabsel window dominates the front side of the lhakhang. In an architectural context, a rabsel is a carefully designed and handcrafted assembly or cluster of windows and panels which are much larger and incorporate more stylized elements. Rabsels also protrude slightly out of the wall in which they are built to create a greater sense of enlarged openesess in the building.
Many of the elaborately carved and painted images that appear on the exterior surface of the rabsel window frames are symbolic objects also seen elsewhere in the lhakhang. These include several druk (dragons) and phoenix birds, various representations of the eight auspicious signs (wheel, umbrella, pair of fish, conch shell, banner, lotus flower, treasure vase, and endless-knot drawing). However, the rabsel also includes a cluster of several other important and very carefully carved and painted images that are known as the ‘Four Dignities’ and are represented symbolically by a snow lion, garuda, dragon, and tiger. The Four Dignities are symbolized by images of these mythological animals that live deep within Bhutanese popular consciousness and represent various qualities and attitude attributed to enlightened minds and individuals such as strength, confidence, charity and cheerfulness, and appear on either side of a double-thunderbolt, or visvavajra.
railings
There are two sets of traditional Bhutanese balcony railings that are installed just outside the gorago doors on both ends of the building. The railings are known in Bhutan as ‘jha dha tazi’ and where handcrafted from timber (blue pine) and then painted in the traditional style with customary detailing appropriate for the prestige attached to the building.
red band with white circles
A painted red band with white circles that is known as a ‘kermar’ encircles the building int he space below the lung-go roof. It is located on one side by the uppermost parts of the rabsel window. Such a red band is honorific is an honorific element applied only to the most important buildings in Bhutan. The white circles -- deliberately left empty and without any color or other structural or symbolic elements -- are simple abstract representations of the understating that all phenomena are transient in time and space.
Dragon Heads
There are four elaborately carved and painted ‘druk’ or dragon heads that were originally handcrafted in Bhutan for placement at each of the four corners of the lhakhang directly under the eaves of the bottom part of the lung-go roof. Carved from timber (blue pine) that also was felled and milled by hand in Bhutan for construction of the lhakhang. The inclusion of important iconographic carved sculptures like the druk are found on important public buildings throughout Bhutan. Most such carved architectural ornaments in Bhutan are highly stylized mythological animals or birds that reflect the historical importance of nature adn the environment to Bhiutanese cultural an artistic expression.
doors
There are two ‘gorago’ or doors to the Lhakhang, with one at each end of the building. As customary with traditional Bhutanese design, both doors swing open and inwards from the middle and are secured with a padlock. The exterior frames around both goragos feature two carved and painted images of the druk (dragon), the national symbol of Bhutan. A customary decorative motif, painted with the five main colors in Bhutanese artistic palate (white, yellow, blue, red, and green) surrounds these golden druk. Above the doorframes are images of two deer facing a ‘dharma’ wheel, symbolizing the teaching of the Buddha. All of these images signify that one is entering into a place of learning, wisdom, and compassion.
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Kachen
the columns
Upon entering the Lhakhang, visitors are immediately presented with four very large, richly carved and painted columns known as kachen. The kachen were milled by hand from single large timbers of blue pine, which were felled in Bhutan in late 2007 in preparation for the building’s initial construction at the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. The kachen found inside the Lhakhang at UTEP are essentially square, the most common shape seen in Bhutan.
The upper parts of the kachen are composed of two distinct, highly styled, carved and painted parts known as the ‘head’ and ‘rap,’ which are separated by a string of beads, cheyim, associated with focused mindful meditation. Each side of the kachen is elaborately carved and painted under the rap and features the druk, dragon, and floral motifs with the five main colors that make up the Bhutanese artistic palate: white, yellow, blue, red, and green. It is highlighted with gold paint.
Each side of the base of each kachen is adorned with a carved and painted decorative motif of a kirtimukha, which is a mythological figure popular throughout the Himalayan and South Asia region. It is often understood to symbolize awareness of the destructive effects associated with mindless, insatiable greed for temporal pleasures and possessions that feed upon themselves. A kirtimukha image is typically represented by a grotesque disembodied head whose raw mindless and insatiable desire has consumed the rest of its body. It is a popular image of a very important existential life lesson learned the very hard way. However, the image also typically features the combined sun and moon atop the head, symbolizing the union of wisdom and compassion.
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The Story Behind the Lhakhang
Origins
Traditionally known as ‘Druk Yul” or “Land of the Thunder Dragon,” the Kingdom of Bhutan remains one of the least known countries in the world. Bhutan is one of the smallest and, based on its geographic location, one of the most remote countries in the world. It is located high in a remote region of the eastern Himalayas, bordered by China and India.
Most Bhutanese still live in relatively small agrarian villages with strong artisan and artistic communities, holding onto their deep cultural roots. The boundaries of modern Bhutan date back to the mid-to-late seventeenth century when the country was first organized by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1594-1651), who is also credited for the ongoing evolution of Bhutanese culture with its characteristic Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. In other words, it is difficult to understand contemporary Bhutanese cultural and artistic expression without recognizing and having some sense of its Tibetan origins and how those important early influences were absorbed and subsequently expressed by the people of Bhutan over time.
In April of 1914, the first photographs of Bhutan (a country that very few people knew about) became accessible in the United States when they were first published by National Geographic magazine. Taken during a travel expedition between 1905 and 1907 by the accomplished amateur photographer John Claude White. These photographs would have an immense impact on the design of the future buildings and campus of the University of Texas at El Paso. After reading the article, Kathleen Worrell, wife of the dean of the School of Mines, was inspired by the Himalayan mountain-top fortresses and landscape of the Kingdom of Bhutan. Worrell imagined a similar design for the university situated almost 8,000 miles away in the then remote and isolated desert landscape of El Paso. Since 1917, UTEP’s architectural designs have incorporated Bhutanese elements and art that is still visible throughout the university’s campus.
Kachen
The Columns
Upon entering the Lhakhang, visitors are immediately presented with four very large, richly carved and painted columns known as kachen. The kachen were milled by hand from single large timbers of blue pine, which were felled in Bhutan in late 2007 in preparation for the building’s initial construction at the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. The kachen found inside the Lhakhang at UTEP are essentially square, the most common shape seen in Bhutan.
The upper parts of the kachen are composed of two distinct, highly styled, carved and painted parts known as the ‘head’ and ‘rap,’ which are separated by a string of beads, cheyim, associated with focused mindful meditation. Each side of the kachen is elaborately carved and painted under the rap and features the druk, dragon, and floral motifs with the five main colors that make up the Bhutanese artistic palate: white, yellow, blue, red, and green. It is highlighted with gold paint.
Each side of the base of each kachen is adorned with a carved and painted decorative motif of a kirtimukha, which is a mythological figure popular throughout the Himalayan and South Asia region. It is often understood to symbolize awareness of the destructive effects associated with mindless, insatiable greed for temporal pleasures and possessions that feed upon themselves. A kirtimukha image is typically represented by a grotesque disembodied head whose raw mindless and insatiable desire has consumed the rest of its body. It is a popular image of a very important existential life lesson learned the very hard way. However, the image also typically features the combined sun and moon atop the head, symbolizing the union of wisdom and compassion.
Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting VI
According to tradition throughout the region, Guru Rinpoche became a learned and highly respected Buddhist teacher who traveled to and spent time in Tibet before coming to Bhutan in the 8th century (CE).
His right foot is extended slightly forward, which reflects an overall sense of noble ease and readiness for benevolent action.
He also is holding a dorji in his right hand which represents the action-oriented power of a thunderbolt coupled with the brilliant and indestructible qualities of a diamond. The combined power of the thunderbolt together with the hardness of the diamond symbolizes the existential qualities required to cut through ignorance, anger and greed with the aim of using wisdom and compassion to relieve suffering in the cosmos.
In his left hand holds a skull bowl that contains a vase which symbolizes the treasured well-being resulting from a long life lived dedicated to the benefits of successfully confronting the root causes of suffering in oneself and others (ignorance, anger, and greed).
His hat is distinctive and contains many symbols that reinforce the overall aura of his qualities that are celebrated in the art. The single feather at the top of the hat and resting on a half dorji is understood to represent his single-minded focus on understanding the nature of reality and human experience. The motif of the sun resting in the crescent moon symbolizes the union of wisdom and compassionate action which the life of Guru Rinpoche is believed by the Bhutanese to personify. The eyes of Guru Rinpoche are wide open (another contrast with the half-closed eyes of the contemplative Sakyamuni), and are said to reflect his attentiveness to the needs of the world around him.
The highly symbolic staff that rests in the crook of his left arm denotes his importance as a master in Bhutan's Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. Known as a 'khatvanga' staff, it is topped with a trident and below which appear three human heads in various states of decay that rest upon a double-dorji or dorji jadam (representing virtuous power in action). The heads are colored white (a completely decayed skull), red (partially decayed), and blue (freshly dead), and serve as poignant reminders of the stages of mortality that all sentient beings eventually experience.
Seated just below Guru Rinpoche are his two principal consorts: the Indian princess Mandarava on the left and the Tibetan Queen Yeshe Tshogyal on the right (both are holding scull caps). Seated below the two consorts are three unidentified followers.
The Story of Buddha
Painting vi
This painting incorporates imagery and symbolism depicting how Buddha's teachings, also known to scholars as the dharma, were remembered after his death. The overall pictorial composition remains set in a stylized Bhutanese landscape characterized by steep hills, valleys and rivers. The two deer are reminders of the story of Buddha’s first public discourse that he delivered at a sanctuary for deer located near Varanasi in northern India, thereby denoting a place of learning, wisdom and compassion.
The two main images in the composition include a stupa at the upper left and what appears just below to be a place where sacred texts are stored. Above both there is an image of the auspicious umbrella which symbolizes the virtue of protecting others from harm that is frequently associated with the dharma.
Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting V
According to legend, Guru Rinpoche traveled to Bhutan at the behest of the ruler of Bumthang in central Bhutan, King Sendhaka, also known as 'Sindhu Raja' and 'Sinto Raja'. Stories relating to the visit indicate that King Sendhaka invited Guru Rinpoche to visit because he had fallen gravely ill as a result of conflicts with demonic forces. Guru Rinpoche healed King Sendhaka, subdued the demons responsible for his illness, and, as a result, convinced King Sendhaka to study Buddhist teachings. This story of healing is how the Bhutanese learn about when Buddhist teachings and culture became dominant in the country.
This image of King Sendhaka in his palace is set within a stylized Bhutanese landscape of steep hills and forests. The King has a sick expression on his face and his attendants are clearly distressed. Guru Rinpoche is shown arriving near the open gate of King Sendhaka's palace, which was located near present-day Jakar in Bumthang. Rinpoche is welcomed by an attendant wearing a simple white scarf known as a khata. The custom of presenting visitors with a khata remains a familiar Bhutanese gesture of hospitality to this day.
Furnishings
The Desk, Seat, and Chest
The Bhutanese consider Lhakhangs to be buildings that serve as public structures commemorating important events and places in Bhutanese history and tradition. The chair and the larger desk are used by monks when conducting community business. The smaller desk on the right is used for storage and the monk, who uses it, sits on the floor. The chest on the left is utilized for the storage of scripts, musical instruments, and similar materials.
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Smithsonian Institute
42nd Annual Folklife Festival 2008
In 2008 the Kingdom of Bhutan was invited to take part in the 52nd Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Known for its professionally curated ‘museum without walls’, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an international exposition of living cultural heritage annually produced outdoors on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Since its initiation in 1967, the festival has presented programs involving participants from more than ninety nations. The Bhutanese display became the largest and most comprehensive living exhibition of Bhutanese life and culture ever presented outside the remote Himalayan kingdom. As a result of the program, through art, architecture, music, food, and performance millions of Festival visitors learned about Bhutan during the two-week festival period.
Because architectural forms are particularly distinctive in Bhutan, architecture became one of the priority examples of Bhutanese cultural heritage that the Bhutanese wanted to showcase at the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. While the Smithsonian was receptive to the initial idea, the Bhutanese idea to build a structure that visitors could actually enter and explore was perceived to be too ambitious for the Festival timeline. This structure would have to be strong enough to accommodate crowds of visitors, but also temporary enough to be dismantled within a matter of days after the Festival closed. Nonetheless, the Bhutanese continued to press their proposal with the Smithsonian since they believed that such a structure would provide an unparalleled centerpiece for the type of direct experiential learning opportunities that are typical in Festival-related programs.
Keeping in mind the concerns of the Smithsonian, to satisfactory realize their goals, Bhutanese designers settled upon the construction of the Lhakhang. The term “Lhakhang” is frequently translated into English simply as “temple”, but in contrast to the way the word “temple” is used in some Western contexts, a Lhakhang is not a place of worship. Lhakhangs are highly respected and provide places for contemplative reflection that is inspired by the highly stylized decorative elements typically found inside that pertain to various important aspects of Bhutanese life and history. They created this space that would include in context very high-quality examples of Bhutan’s zorig chusum or the ‘Thirteen Traditional Arts’. By using some of Bhutan’s finest weavers, painters, sculptors, carvers, cooks, and carpenters, planners hoped to provide visitors an opportunity outside of Bhutan to see, hear, touch, smell, and examine Bhutanese life and culture.
Conventional Bhutanese building techniques posed another major challenge. Since most traditional buildings in Bhutan are built by master craftsmen, who learn traditional techniques from lifetimes of experience, working without any architectural drawings. But with characteristic focus and determination, under the leadership of Dorji Yangki, the first Bhutanese woman architect, with the cooperation of Robert Scheider, who oversaw the technical effort for the Smithsonian team in Washington, D.C., an acceptable design and structural solution was presented. With the collaboration of a Bhutanese team of highly skilled artists and craftsmen, began work in Bhutan to accelerate construction in Washington.
In early May 2008, a team of ten master carpenters and craftsmen from Bhutan traveled to Washington, D.C. to complete their work by erecting the key authentic architectural components of the Lhakhang as they arrived at the Smithsonian. During their first days on-site, the teams finished the preliminary preparation of the site on the National Mall and constructed the Lhakhang’s specially designed foundation, flooring, and plywood structural shell. Unfortunately, shortly after their arrival the Bhutanese artisans found out that the shipping container, which was carrying the architectural elements had missed its connection, delaying the arrival by approximately two weeks.
To make the most of an admittedly bad situation, the Bhutanese carpenters and craftsmen advised the Smithsonian that they would like to use the time waiting for the shipment to work on other aspects of the Bhutan program site, which could benefit from their knowledge and expertise. In less than a day they were ready to work on new unscheduled but very constructive tasks at the Bhutanese program site, which would have been impossible without their personal knowledge and skill. As a result, [As part of the time-sensitive preparations for the exhibit], they constructed a traditional Bhutanese kitchen stove made of rammed-earth and clay and a traditional Bhutanese stone open-air incense burner near the Lhakhang construction site.
Once the container was offloaded, cleared by customs, and then transported to Washington, D.C., the Bhutanese carpenters and craftsmen were finally able to start the refined work they had traveled so far to do. Since no nails are used in traditional Bhutanese construction, pieces of the building were fit together like a huge harmonious three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. By applying customary Bhutanese construction techniques, the structure’s main traditional architectural elements--hand-carved and painted windows and doors, columns, richly painted interior walls and statuary, and other decorative features both inside and out-- were skillfully pieced together without notes or drawings and then carefully installed into the building’s preconstructed structural shell.
As the Lhakhang took shape, with the help of some translators, visitors had a chance to stop and talk with the builders. And notwithstanding the fact that the carpenters and craftsmen had lost nearly two weeks of construction time, the dedicated Bhutanese team, by working extremely long days, finally completed their tasks just a few days before the Festival opened on June 25, 2008.
Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting iV
Rinpoche traveled to India and Nepal where he studied and taught the wisdom of Buddhism. The images of two of the most historic structures in Bhutan today commemorate his visits in Bumthang in central Bhutan and Paro in the west.
A depiction of one part of Kurjey Lhakhang, which is located in Bumthang near where Guru Rinpoche visited with King Sendhaka at his palace, appears in the center of the painting. The site of Kurjey Lhakhang is commemorated, because it is the place where Bhutanese tradition holds that Guru Rinpoche subdued the local demon, Shelging Karpo, who was responsible for causing so much suffering there. Guru Rinpoche can be seen dealing with Shelging Karpo at the bottom of the painting.
Dorje Drolo is understood to represent great energy, strength and wisdom, and despite his appearance, which appears monstrous to many western eyes, is believed to represent that part of Guru Rinpoche' s life experience and character that was defined as a protector and comforter for those who are righteous but suffer.
The Story of Buddha
Painting v
Buddha in a reclining pose and awaiting death teaching his last lesson – Be your own Buddha. The wrinkles in his body suggest an old man yet his face remains serene. He is surrounded by several of his disciples who are expressing grief. However, the image of Buddha himself is one of relaxing composure consistent with traditions that celebrate the acceptance of the inevitability of death without fear by having attained the wisdom associated with living life without illusion. A celestial being appears in the clouds at the upper left of the painting showering the dying Sakyamuni with flower petals
The exact dates of Siddhartha Gautama’s birth and death are not precisely known. However, scholars believe that he lived sometime between the fifth and fourth centuries BCE and died near what is now Kushinagar in northern India.
Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting iII
In this image Guru Rinpoche appears inside a cave or grotto with falling water all around. His khatvanga staff rests in the crook of his left arm, denoting his importance as a master in Bhutan's Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. In contrast to other images of Guru Rinpoche appearing in the lhakhang, his hands are in repose and holding a vase of long life. His overall countenance is rested and reflective even though, with open eyes, he remains alert and vigilant. There are many devotees offering gifts including one who appears possibly to be an appreciative King Sendhaka now enjoying better health.
Echoing the symbol of the vase of long life held in Guru Rinpoche's hands, there is a mystical image of Tsepame, who symbolizes and is associated generally with well being, energetic life, and the removal of harmful obstacles from one's overall life force and existence. Guru Rinpoche is often associated with Tsepame in Bhutanese iconography because of the life-affirming energy attributed to them both.
The Story of Buddha
Painting I
The Story of Buddhism starts with Maya, mother of Siddhartha Gautama who gave birth to him in a beautiful forest grove after dreaming that a white elephant with a white lotus flower in its trunk approached her, struck her on her right side with its trunk and then vanished. Stories concerning the birth of Sakyamuni generally place the event in a garden in Lumbini in present day Nepal.
Maya is depicted grasping the branch of a tree while giving birth to the infant Sakyamuni, who appears to the left of his mother. The infant Sakyamuni is portrayed seated in a Buddha like pose and is surrounded by an aura.
A white mystical being reaches out to receive the emerging Buddha-like child. Maya, who is standing in lotus blossoms, is attended by gift bearers. Another mystical being in the clouds prepares to pour saffron-scented water from a traditional Bhutanese vessel decorated with peacock feathers onto the scene; all attesting to its significance.
The Story of Buddha
Painting II
At his birth, Siddhartha Gautama was showered with blessings by the gods. According to some legends, shortly after his birth he took seven steps and lotus blossoms emerged from his footprints, symbolizing purity and pacification.
Siddhartha Gautama is suspended in the same distinctly colored aura of light. He is walking across a trail of seven lotus blossoms, surrounded by the "Five Wisdom Beings," each echoing a color from the aura and each symbolizing a different aspect or characteristic of wisdom. They welcome the little boy with a simple white khata.
The colors appearing in the aura are described generally in Bhutanese iconography in terms of some of the major forces or characteristics that define life in the universe. These forces are widely respected in Bhutan.
What the colors represent:
WHITE - compassionate, life-affirming, harmonious
YELLOW - abundant, resourceful, generous
RED - strong, willful, accomplished
BLUE - ability to overcome/subjugate anger
GREEN - wise, enlightened, patient
Siddhartha Gautama grew up in luxury, married a woman named Yasodhara and had a son. One day while traveling outside his palace, Siddhartha saw what is known as the four sights: a sick man, an old man, a corpse and a holy man. He asked his chariot driver Channa about each of these sights and therefore learned that all of us get sick, get old and die and that some people seek to alleviate this suffering through a life of holiness. After seeing the four sights, Siddhartha left his home of luxury and became an ascetic monk, meditating and hardly eating or drinking.
The Story of Buddha
Painting III
At the point of death, Siddhartha now also known as Sakyamuni, and more commonly known as Buddha, meditated under a Bodhi tree. As he was meditating, Mara, the lord of the desire realm assailed upon him to keep him from reaching enlightenment. He sent demons with sights of desire, but Siddhartha knew they were illusions. He then sent beautiful young women to seduce the enlightened one, but Siddhartha knew they too would lose their youth and become old. Siddhartha was not tempted and achieved enlightenment and became Buddha, meaning “awakened one."
Buddha understood that we must follow a "middle way" between excessive luxury and excessive asceticism. His first act after enlightenment was to drink a bowl of milk from a cow herd - a member of the upper caste accepting an offering from a member of the lowest caste to demonstrate that all are able to achieve enlightenment.
This particular pose is sometimes referred to in Bhutan simply as Sangay, and is one of the most well-known and easily recognized. It symbolizes Buddha's efforts to ground his focus towards the goal of enlightenment at a time when he was experiencing great temptation to renounce the effort. The holes in his ears are reminders of the earrings and other jewels and luxuries he left behind from the time he lived as a prince.
Looking at the subject in this painting, his robes appear more regal suggesting he has not yet fully attained the enlightenment he sought. His face portrays a contemplative gaze with eyes half closed as in the sculpture, but his lips are more pursed suggesting some distraction resulting from the demons around him. The hair, however, also is characteristically tightly knotted and colored blue. It appears with the distinctive cranial bump on the top of the head, which is topped with a flaming jewel, together forming yet another symbol of the wisdom associated with the life of Buddha, as it is depicted in other iconographic images found throughout the lhakhang.
DEMONS OF DISTRACTION
The powers of the multiple temptations threatening to derail his commitment to seeking enlightenment are portrayed symbolically by the demons that are attempting to poke Sakyamuni with their weapons and thereby distract his mindful focus.
WOMEN OF LUST & TEMPTATION
In addition, the young dancing girls symbolize lust and seduction attempting to distract Buddha from achieving enlightenment. But as worldly human bodies, they show various states of decay and suffering, another form of distraction preoccupied with fear and loathing.
Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting i
The Story of Buddhism in Bhutan revolves around Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava, an 8th Century CE holy man who brought Buddhism to Bhutan.
Some accounts of the life of Guru Rinpoche flow from traditions that start with the premise that he was born of the life force of the universe itself - without mother or father -- and first appeared in a lotus blossom growing in a lake in what is now the Swat Valley region of Pakistan.
Rinpoche was welcomed by the local leaders and recognized as a Guru and also went by the name, “Padmasambhava” which means "He who came into being in a lotus."
In this image appears to be the allegorical painting of Guru Rinpoche's birth. A thin aura surrounds the figure. His hands are shaped in the classic teaching gesture, the mudra. The event is heralded by the celestial beings who are positioned in the clouds and who are raining down flowers and saffron-scented water on the event. There is a mysteriously dressed man among the gift-bearers gathering along the shore: he is dressed in 20th century clothes. The image appears to be consistent with the prior allegorical themes that purport to describe aspects of Guru Rinpoche's life experience that might be understood to transcend both place and time.
Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting iI
The painting depicts the story of Guru Rinpoche -- who legend holds was born without parents -- being discovered by the household of a local ruler, King lndrabodhi of Oddiyana, which is near present- day western Kashmir. The painting shows Guru Rinpoche being transported in a cart to the palace of King Indrabodhi, who is said to have adopted Guru Rinpoche when he was still a boy and raised him as a privileged prince in his palace.
Rinpoche is pictured in the cart holding a vajra in his right hand, symbolizing the existential qualities required to cut through ignorance, anger and greed in order to gain wisdom and compassion to relieve suffering in the cosmos. He is not carrying the khatvanga staff that symbolizes the authority that he attained later in life as a great teacher. Even though he is still a child, Guru Rinpoche is pictured wearing his customary robes and hat.
Above Guru Rinpoche, in the cart, is an image of Vajradhara who is understood in Bhutan to represent the metaphysical primordial essence of enlightenment. According to traditional understanding, Guru Rinpoche's life on earth was ordained by Vajradhara to succeed Buddha as the next great teacher of enlightenment, and he is frequently associated (usually being depicted in blue) with origin stories relating to Guru Rinpoche.
In the painting Vajradhara is also seated upon a bed of lotus flowers above the lake where Guru Rinpoche was believed to have been born. Vajradhara holds a vajra in each hand and is accompanied by two celestial beings hovering in the clouds showering the scene below with flower petals and saffron-scented water. The presence of Vajradhara is intended to reinforce the extraordinary esteem with which Guru Rinpoche and the legends about his life are held in Bhutan.
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From Bhutan to the Capital to El Paso
Although the long-distance relationship between UTEP and the Kingdom of Bhutan began in 1914 with National Geographic Magazine, it was not until the late 1960s when Bhutan discovered the immense impact their architectural arts had on the design and building of the university campus. It was UTEP’s News and Information Director, Dale Walker, who first sent a letter to Bhutan’s Royal Family seeking comments on the university’s Bhutanese-inspired architecture. The Royal Family replied to Walker’s letter, saying it was “thrilling and deeply moving” that a university in far-off America would erect buildings modeled after their native Bhutan.
Not long after, the first Bhutanese student, Jigme Dorji, came to El Paso to pursue his education and play soccer for UTEP, earning a degree in engineering in 1978. As this relationship grew, so did the number of Bhutanese students who enrolled at UTEP. Today, nearly 100 students have traveled abroad from Bhutan to earn their degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso. As Bhutanese student enrollment increased in the early 2000s, so did the collection of cultural artifacts around campus, including the acquisition of the Lhakhang.
At the opening ceremonies of the 42nd Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., in 2008, at the center of the Festival stood an authentic wooden Lhakhang. It was at that point that His Royal Highness, Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck presented the Lhakhang as “A symbol of friendship from the Kingdom of Bhutan to the People of the United States of America and entrusted it to the University of Texas at El Paso.”
Seven years later in 2015, the Lhakhang was re-erected in the heart of Centennial Plaza as part of the UTEP Centennial Celebration’s campus transformation project. Along with prayer flags that blow high on the hilltop of the Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens and the hand-embroidered tapestries that adorn walls of several UTEP buildings, the Lhakhang stands out as the hallmark of a Bhutanese Cultural Center. It is now the centerpiece of UTEP’s Centennial Plaza.
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Furnishings
The Desk, Seat, and Chest
The Bhutanese consider Lhakhangs to be buildings that serve as public structures commemorating important events and places in Bhutanese history and tradition. The chair and the larger desk are used by monks when conducting community business. The smaller desk on the right is used for storage and the monk, who uses it, sits on the floor. The chest on the left is utilized for the storage of scripts, musical instruments, and similar materials.
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The Story of Buddha
Painting iI
At his birth, Siddhartha Gautama was showered with blessings by the gods. According to some legends, shortly after his birth he took seven steps and lotus blossoms emerged from his footprints, symbolizing purity and pacification.
Siddhartha Gautama is suspended in the same distinctly colored aura of light. He is walking across a trail of seven lotus blossoms, surrounded by the "Five Wisdom Beings," each echoing a color from the aura and each symbolizing a different aspect or characteristic of wisdom. They welcome the little boy with a simple white khata.
The colors appearing in the aura are described generally in Bhutanese iconography in terms of some of the major forces or characteristics that define life in the universe. These forces are widely respected in Bhutan.
What the colors represent:
WHITE - compassionate, life-affirming, harmonious
YELLOW - abundant, resourceful, generous
RED - strong, willful, accomplished
BLUE - ability to overcome/subjugate anger
GREEN - wise, enlightened, patient
Siddhartha Gautama grew up in luxury, married a woman named Yasodhara and had a son. One day while traveling outside his palace, Siddhartha saw what is known as the four sights: a sick man, an old man, a corpse and a holy man. He asked his chariot driver Channa about each of these sights and therefore learned that all of us get sick, get old and die and that some people seek to alleviate this suffering through a life of holiness. After seeing the four sights, Siddhartha left his home of luxury and became an ascetic monk, meditating and hardly eating or drinking.
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Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting IV
Rinpoche traveled to India and Nepal where he studied and taught the wisdom of Buddhism. The images of two of the most historic structures in Bhutan today commemorate his visits in Bumthang in central Bhutan and Paro in the west.
A depiction of one part of Kurjey Lhakhang, which is located in Bumthang near where Guru Rinpoche visited with King Sendhaka at his palace, appears in the center of the painting. The site of Kurjey Lhakhang is commemorated, because it is the place where Bhutanese tradition holds that Guru Rinpoche subdued the local demon, Shelging Karpo, who was responsible for causing so much suffering there. Guru Rinpoche can be seen dealing with Shelging Karpo at the bottom of the painting.
Smithsonian Institute
42nd Annual Folklife Festival 2008
In 2008 the Kingdom of Bhutan was invited to take part in the 52nd Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Known for its professionally curated ‘museum without walls’, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an international exposition of living cultural heritage annually produced outdoors on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Since its initiation in 1967, the festival has presented programs involving participants from more than ninety nations. The Bhutanese display became the largest and most comprehensive living exhibition of Bhutanese life and culture ever presented outside the remote Himalayan kingdom. As a result of the program, through art, architecture, music, food, and performance millions of Festival visitors learned about Bhutan during the two-week festival period.
Because architectural forms are particularly distinctive in Bhutan, architecture became one of the priority examples of Bhutanese cultural heritage that the Bhutanese wanted to showcase at the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. While the Smithsonian was receptive to the initial idea, the Bhutanese idea to build a structure that visitors could actually enter and explore was perceived to be too ambitious for the Festival timeline. This structure would have to be strong enough to accommodate crowds of visitors, but also temporary enough to be dismantled within a matter of days after the Festival closed. Nonetheless, the Bhutanese continued to press their proposal with the Smithsonian since they believed that such a structure would provide an unparalleled centerpiece for the type of direct experiential learning opportunities that are typical in Festival-related programs.
Keeping in mind the concerns of the Smithsonian, to satisfactory realize their goals, Bhutanese designers settled upon the construction of the Lhakhang. The term “Lhakhang” is frequently translated into English simply as “temple”, but in contrast to the way the word “temple” is used in some Western contexts, a Lhakhang is not a place of worship. Lhakhangs are highly respected and provide places for contemplative reflection that is inspired by the highly stylized decorative elements typically found inside that pertain to various important aspects of Bhutanese life and history. They created this space that would include in context very high-quality examples of Bhutan’s zorig chusum or the ‘Thirteen Traditional Arts’. By using some of Bhutan’s finest weavers, painters, sculptors, carvers, cooks, and carpenters, planners hoped to provide visitors and opportunity outside of Bhutan to see, hear, touch, smell, and examine Bhutanese life and culture.
Conventional Bhutanese building techniques posed another major challenge. Since most traditional buildings in Bhutan are built by master craftsmen, who learn traditional techniques from lifetimes of experience, working without any architectural drawings. But with characteristic focus and determination, under the leadership of Dorji Yangki, the first Bhutanese woman architect, with the cooperation of Robert Scheider, who oversaw the technical effort for the Smithsonian team in Washington, D.C., an acceptable design and structural solution was presented. With the collaboration of a Bhutanese team of highly skilled artists and craftsmen, begin work in Bhutan to accelerate construction in Washington.
In early May 2008, a team of ten master carpenters and craftsmen from Bhutan traveled to Washington D.C. to complete their work by erecting the key authentic architectural components of the Lhakhang as they arrived at the Smithsonian. During their first days on-site, the teams finished the preliminary preparation of the site on the National Mall and constructed the Lhakhang’s specially designed foundation, flooring, and plywood structural shell. Unfortunately, shortly after their arrival the Bhutanese artisans found out that the shipping container, which was carrying the architectural elements had missed its connection, delaying the arrival by approximately two weeks.
To make the most of an admittedly bad situation, the Bhutanese carpenters and craftsmen advised the Smithsonian that they would like to use the time waiting for the shipment to work on other aspects of the Bhutan program site, which could benefit from their knowledge and expertise. In less than a day they were ready to work on new unscheduled but very constructive tasks at the Bhutanese program site, which would have been impossible without their personal knowledge and skill. As a result, [As part of the time-sensitive preparations for the exhibit], they constructed a traditional Bhutanese kitchen stove made of rammed-earth and clay and a traditional Bhutanese stone open-air incense burner near the Lhakhang construction site.
Once the container was offloaded, cleared by customs, and then transported to Washington, D.C., the Bhutanese carpenters and craftsmen were finally able to start the refined work they had traveled so far to do. Since no nails are used in traditional Bhutanese construction, pieces of the building were fit together like a huge harmonious three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. By applying customary Bhutanese construction techniques, the structure’s main traditional architectural elements--hand-carved and painted windows and doors, columns, richly painted interior walls and statuary, and other decorative features both inside and out-- were skillfully pieced together without notes or drawings and then carefully installed into the building’s preconstructed structural shell.
As the Lhakhang took shape, with the help of some translators, visitors had a chance to stop and talk with the builders. And notwithstanding the fact that the carpenters and craftsmen had lost nearly two weeks of construction time, the dedicated Bhutanese team, by working extremely long days, finally completed their tasks just a few days before the Festival opened on June 25, 2008.
From Bhutan to the Capital to El Paso
Although the long-distance relationship between UTEP and the Kingdom of Bhutan began in 1914 with National Geographic Magazine, it was not until the late 1960s when Bhutan discovered the immense impact their architectural arts had on the design and building of the university campus. It was UTEP’s News and Information Director, Dale Walker, who first sent a letter to Bhutan’s Royal Family seeking comments on the university’s Bhutanese-inspired architecture. The Royal Family replied to Walker’s letter, saying it was “thrilling and deeply moving” that a university in far-off America would erect buildings modeled after their native Bhutan.
Not long after, the first Bhutanese student, Jigme Dorji, came to El Paso to pursue his education and play soccer for UTEP, earning a degree in engineering in 1978. As this relationship grew, so did the number of Bhutanese students who enrolled at UTEP. Today, nearly 100 students have traveled abroad from Bhutan to earn their degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso. As Bhutanese student enrollment increased in the early 2000s, so did the collection of cultural artifacts around campus, including the acquisition of the Lhakhang.
At the opening ceremonies of the 42nd Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., in 2008, at the center of the Festival stood an authentic wooden Lhakhang. It was at that point that His Royal Highness, Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck presented the Lhakhang as “A symbol of friendship from the Kingdom of Bhutan to the People of the United States of America and entrusted it to the University of Texas at El Paso.”
Seven years later in 2015, the Lhakhang was re-erected in the heart of Centennial Plaza as part of the UTEP Centennial Celebration’s campus transformation project. Along with prayer flags that blow high on the hilltop of the Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens and the hand-embroidered tapestries that adorn walls of several UTEP buildings, the Lhakhang stands out as the hallmark of a Bhutanese Cultural Center. It is now the centerpiece of UTEP’s Centennial Plaza.
The Story of Buddha
Painting iII
At the point of death, Siddhartha now also known as Sakyamuni, and more commonly known as Buddha, meditated under a Bodhi tree. As he was meditating, Mara, the lord of the desire realm assailed upon him to keep him from reaching enlightenment. He sent demons with sights of desire, but Siddhartha knew they were illusions. He then sent beautiful young women to seduce the enlightened one, but Siddhartha knew they too would lose their youth and become old. Siddhartha was not tempted and achieved enlightenment and became Buddha, meaning “awakened one."
Buddha understood that we must follow a "middle way" between excessive luxury and excessive asceticism. His first act after enlightenment was to drink a bowl of milk from a cow herd - a member of the upper caste accepting an offering from a member of the lowest caste to demonstrate that all are able to achieve enlightenment.
This particular pose is sometimes referred to in Bhutan simply as Sangay, and is one of the most well-known and easily recognized. It symbolizes Buddha's efforts to ground his focus towards the goal of enlightenment at a time when he was experiencing great temptation to renounce the effort. The holes in his ears are reminders of the earrings and other jewels and luxuries he left behind from the time he lived as a prince.
Looking at the subject in this painting, his robes appear more regal suggesting he has not yet fully attained the enlightenment he sought. His face portrays a contemplative gaze with eyes half closed as in the sculpture, but his lips are more pursed suggesting some distraction resulting from the demons around him. The hair, however, also is characteristically tightly knotted and colored blue. It appears with the distinctive cranial bump on the top of the head, which is topped with a flaming jewel, together forming yet another symbol of the wisdom associated with the life of Buddha, as it is depicted in other iconographic images found throughout the lhakhang.
DEMONS OF DISTRACTION
The powers of the multiple temptations threatening to derail his commitment to seeking enlightenment are portrayed symbolically by the demons that are attempting to poke Sakyamuni with their weapons and thereby distract his mindful focus.
WOMEN OF LUST & TEMPTATION
In addition, the young dancing girls symbolize lust and seduction attempting to distract Buddha from achieving enlightenment. But as worldly human bodies, they show various states of decay and suffering, another form of distraction preoccupied with fear and loathing.
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The Story of Buddha
Painting i
The Story of Buddhism starts with Maya, mother of Siddhartha Gautama who gave birth to him in a beautiful forest grove after dreaming that a white elephant with a white lotus flower in its trunk approached her, struck her on her right side with its trunk and then vanished. Stories concerning the birth of Sakyamuni generally place the event in a garden in Lumbini in present day Nepal.
Maya is depicted grasping the branch of a tree while giving birth to the infant Sakyamuni, who appears to the left of his mother. The infant Sakyamuni is portrayed seated in a Buddha like pose and is surrounded by an aura.
A white mystical being reaches out to receive the emerging Buddha-like child. Maya, who is standing in lotus blossoms, is attended by gift bearers. Another mystical being in the clouds prepares to pour saffron-scented water from a traditional Bhutanese vessel decorated with peacock feathers onto the scene; all attesting to its significance.
The Story Behind the Lhakhang
Origins
Traditionally known as ‘Druk Yul” or “Land of the Thunder Dragon,” the Kingdom of Bhutan remains one of the least known countries in the world. Bhutan is one of the smallest and, based on its geographic location, one of the most remote countries in the world. It is located high in a remote region of the eastern Himalayas, bordered by China and India.
Most Bhutanese still live in relatively small agrarian villages with strong artisan and artistic communities, holding onto their deep cultural roots. The boundaries of modern Bhutan date back to the mid-to late seventeenth century when the country was first organized by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1594-1651), who is also credited for the ongoing evolution of Bhutanese culture with its characteristic Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. In other words, it is difficult to understand contemporary Bhutanese cultural and artistic expression without recognizing and having some sense of its Tibetan origins and how those important early influences were absorbed and subsequently expressed by the people of Bhutan over time.
In April of 1914, the first photographs of Bhutan; a country that very few people knew about; became accessible in the United States when they were first published by National Geographic magazine. Taken during a travel expedition between 1905 and 1907 by the accomplished amateur photographer John Claude White. These photographs would have an immense impact on the design of the future buildings and campus of the University of Texas at El Paso. After reading the article, Kathleen Worrell, wife of the dean of the School of Mines, was inspired by the Himalayan mountain-top fortresses and landscape of the Kingdom of Bhutan. Worrell imagined a similar design for the university situated almost 8,000 miles away in the then remote and isolated desert landscape of El Paso. Since 1917, UTEP’s architectural designs have incorporated Bhutanese elements and art that is still visible throughout the university’s campus.
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Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting V
According to legend, Guru Rinpoche traveled to Bhutan at the behest of the ruler of Bumthang in central Bhutan, King Sendhaka, also known as 'Sindhu Raja' and 'Sinto Raja'. Stories relating to the visit indicate that King Sendhaka invited Guru Rinpoche to visit because he had fallen gravely ill as a result of conflicts with demonic forces. Guru Rinpoche healed King Sendhaka, subdued the demons responsible for his illness, and, as a result, convinced King Sendhaka to study Buddhist teachings. This story of healing is how the Bhutanese learn about when Buddhist teachings and culture became dominant in the country.
This image of King Sendhaka in his palace is set within a stylized Bhutanese landscape of steep hills and forests. The King has a sick expression on his face and his attendants are clearly distressed. Guru Rinpoche is shown arriving near the open gate of King Sendhaka's palace, which was located near present-day Jakar in Bumthang. Rinpoche is welcomed by an attendant wearing a simple white scarf known as a khata. The custom of presenting visitors with a khata remains a familiar Bhutanese gesture of hospitality to this day.
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Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting I
The Story of Buddhism in Bhutan revolves around Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava, an 8th Century CE holy man who brought Buddhism to Bhutan.
Some accounts of the life of Guru Rinpoche flow from traditions that start with the premise that he was born of the life force of the universe itself - without mother or father -- and first appeared in a lotus blossom growing in a lake in what is now the Swat Valley region of Pakistan.
Rinpoche was welcomed by the local leaders and recognized as a Guru and also went by the name, “Padmasambhava” which means "He who came into being in a lotus."
In this image appears to be the allegorical painting of Guru Rinpoche's birth. A thin aura surrounds the figure. His hands are shaped in the classic teaching gesture, the mudra. The event is heralded by the celestial beings who are positioned in the clouds and who are raining down flowers and saffron-scented water on the event. There is a mysteriously dressed man among the gift-bearers gathering along the shore: he is dressed in 20th century clothes. The image appears to be consistent with the prior allegorical themes that purport to describe aspects of Guru Rinpoche's life experience that might be understood to transcend both place and time.
___
Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting III
In this image Guru Rinpoche appears inside a cave or grotto with falling water all around. His khatvanga staff rests in the crook of his left arm, denoting his importance as a master in Bhutan's Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. In contrast to other images of Guru Rinpoche appearing in the lhakhang, his hands are in repose and holding a vase of long life. His overall countenance is rested and reflective even though, with open eyes, he remains alert and vigilant. There are many devotees offering gifts including one who appears possibly to be an appreciative King Sendhaka now enjoying better health.
Echoing the symbol of the vase of long life held in Guru Rinpoche's hands, there is a mystical image of Tsepame, who symbolizes and is associated generally with well being, energetic life, and the removal of harmful obstacles from one's overall life force and existence. Guru Rinpoche is often associated with Tsepame in Bhutanese iconography because of the life-affirming energy attributed to them both.
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Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting II
The painting depicts the story of Guru Rinpoche -- who legend holds was born without parents -- being discovered by the household of a local ruler, King lndrabodhi of Oddiyana, which is near present-day western Kashmir. The painting shows Guru Rinpoche being transported in a cart to the palace of King Indrabodhi, who is said to have adopted Guru Rinpoche when he was still a boy and raised him as a privileged prince in his palace.
Rinpoche is pictured in the cart holding a vajra in his right hand, symbolizing the existential qualities required to cut through ignorance, anger and greed in order to gain wisdom and compassion to relieve suffering in the cosmos. He is not carrying the khatvanga staff that symbolizes the authority that he attained later in life as a great teacher. Even though he is still a child, Guru Rinpoche is pictured wearing his customary robes and hat.
Above Guru Rinpoche, in the cart, is an image of Vajradhara who is understood in Bhutan to represent the metaphysical primordial essence of enlightenment. According to traditional understanding, Guru Rinpoche's life on earth was ordained by Vajradhara to succeed Buddha as the next great teacher of enlightenment, and he is frequently associated (usually being depicted in blue) with origin stories relating to Guru Rinpoche.
In the painting Vajradhara is also seated upon a bed of lotus flowers above the lake where Guru Rinpoche was believed to have been born. Vajradhara holds a vajra in each hand and is accompanied by two celestial beings hovering in the clouds showering the scene below with flower petals and saffron-scented water. The presence of Vajradhara is intended to reinforce the extraordinary esteem with which Guru Rinpoche and the legends about his life are held in Bhutan.
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Buddhism Comes to Bhutan
Painting VI
According to tradition throughout the region, Guru Rinpoche became a learned and highly respected Buddhist teacher who traveled to and spent time in Tibet before coming to Bhutan in the 8th century (CE).
His right foot is extended slightly forward, which reflects an overall sense of noble ease and readiness for benevolent action.
He also is holding a dorji in his right hand which represents the action-oriented power of a thunderbolt coupled with the brilliant and indestructible qualities of a diamond. The combined power of the thunderbolt together with the hardness of the diamond symbolizes the existential qualities required to cut through ignorance, anger and greed with the aim of using wisdom and compassion to relieve suffering in the cosmos.
In his left hand holds a skull bowl that contains a vase which symbolizes the treasured well-being resulting from a long life lived dedicated to the benefits of successfully confronting the root causes of suffering in oneself and others (ignorance, anger, and greed).
His hat is distinctive and contains many symbols that reinforce the overall aura of his qualities that are celebrated in the art. The single feather at the top of the hat and resting on a half dorji is understood to represent his single-minded focus on understanding the nature of reality and human experience. The motif of the sun resting in the crescent moon symbolizes the union of wisdom and compassionate action which the life of Guru Rinpoche is believed by the Bhutanese to personify. The eyes of Guru Rinpoche are wide open (another contrast with the half-closed eyes of the contemplative Sakyamuni), and are said to reflect his attentiveness to the needs of the world around him.
The highly symbolic staff that rests in the crook of his left arm denotes his importance as a master in Bhutan's Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. Known as a 'khatvanga' staff, it is topped with a trident and below which appear three human heads in various states of decay that rest upon a double-dorji or dorji jadam (representing virtuous power in action). The heads are colored white (a completely decayed skull), red (partially decayed), and blue (freshly dead), and serve as poignant reminders of the stages of mortality that all sentient beings eventually experience.
Seated just below Guru Rinpoche are his two principal consorts: the Indian princess Mandarava on the left and the Tibetan Queen Yeshe Tshogyal on the right (both are holding scull caps). Seated below the two consorts are three unidentified followers.
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The Story of Buddha
Painting vI
This painting incorporates imagery and symbolism depicting how Buddha's teachings, also known to scholars as the dharma, were remembered after his death. The overall pictorial composition remains set in a stylized Bhutanese landscape characterized by steep hills, valleys and rivers. The two deer are reminders of the story of Buddha’s first public discourse that he delivered at a sanctuary for deer located near Varanasi in northern India, thereby denoting a place of learning, wisdom and compassion.
The two main images in the composition include a stupa at the upper left and what appears just below to be a place where sacred texts are stored. Above both there is an image of the auspicious umbrella which symbolizes the virtue of protecting others from harm that is frequently associated with the dharma.
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The Story of Buddha
Painting v
Buddha in a reclining pose and awaiting death teaching his last lesson – Be your own Buddha. The wrinkles in his body suggest an old man yet his face remains serene. He is surrounded by several of his disciples who are expressing grief. However, the image of Buddha himself is one of relaxing composure consistent with traditions that celebrate the acceptance of the inevitability of death without fear by having attained the wisdom associated with living life without illusion. A celestial being appears in the clouds at the upper left of the painting showering the dying Sakyamuni with flower petals
The exact dates of Siddhartha Gautama’s birth and death are not precisely known. However, scholars believe that he lived sometime between the fifth and fourth centuries BCE and died near what is now Kushinagar in northern India.
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The Choesham
The Altar and the Three Gems of Bhutan
One part of the architecture of the Lhakhang is a built-in structural piece known as a choesham, which is designed for the display of important objects relating to Bhutanese heritage, life and cultural expression. The word ‘choesham’ is typically translated simply as ‘altar.’ However, it is not an altar in the strict sense used in some Western and other religious traditions. Primarily it is designed and used to display significant artifacts and other objects that have important cultural significance. But similar to altares de dia de muertos or Day of the Dead altars, choeshams frequently incorporate a secondary front table-like structure that is used for other appreciative items such as flowers, fruits, and other foods that may be interspaced with photos or familiar objects of special affection or value. When used in a consecrated public space such as a functioning monastic building, the choesham also can be used for the placement of ritual objects such as butter lamps and candles, small bowls of water, and incenses.
The choesham that is found inside the Lhakhang at UTEP holds three sculptures that are important examples of the traditional clay sculpture, jinzo, found throughout Bhutan today. The sculptures are classical representations of three of the most important people in Bhutanese history; Siddhartha Gautama (also known as ‘Sakyamuni’ or ‘Buddha’), Padmasambhava (also known as ‘Guru Rinpoche’), and Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel.
Born Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha Sakyamuni is the most depicted figure in Buddhism. Just as depicted here, he is most often sitting with his legs crossed on a lotus throne with his right-hand touching the earth and his left hand, with the palm up, above his lap. The Buddha has blueish hair, long earlobes and is dressed in an orange robe. The sculpture of Guru Rinpiche is easily distinguishable due to his unique mustache. He carries a droje (pronounced “door-jay) in his right hand and skull cup in his left hand. Leaning across his shoulder is a trident with three heads that represent victory over desire, anger, and ignorance. Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal is commonly known as “the unifier” of Bhutan. Shabdrung wears silk robes and has a green halo around his head. He is easily identified by his distinctive pointed beard.
All three jinzo sculptures inside the Lhakhang at UTEP, Sakyamuni, Guru Rinpoche, and the Shabdrung, were crafted by master jinzo artists in Bhutan specifically for display during the Bhutan program at the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. They were subsequently transported to UTEP as part of the overall Lhakhang related collection of traditional Bhutanese art and cultural expression, which in its integrated totality comprises one of the best examples found anywhere outside of Bhutan.
The Choesham
The Altar and the Three Gems of Bhutan
One part of the architecture of the Lhakhang is a built-in structural piece known as a choesham, which is designed for the display of important objects relating to Bhutanese heritage, life and cultural expression. The word ‘choesham’ is typically translated simply as ‘altar.’ However, it is not an altar in the strict sense used in some Western and other religious traditions. Primarily it is designed and used to display significant artifacts and other objects that have important cultural significance. But similar to altares de dia de muertos or Day of the Dead altars, choeshams frequently incorporate a secondary front table-like structure that is used for other appreciative items such as flowers, fruits, and other foods that may be interspaced with photos or familiar objects of special affection or value. When used in a consecrated public space such as a functioning monastic building, the choesham also can be used for the placement of ritual objects such as butter lamps and candles, small bowls of water, and incenses.
The choesham that is found inside the Lhakhang at UTEP holds three sculptures that are important examples of the traditional clay sculpture, jinzo, found throughout Bhutan today. The sculptures are classical representations of three of the most important people in Bhutanese history; Siddhartha Gautama (also known as ‘Sakyamuni’ or ‘Buddha’), Padmasambhava (also known as ‘Guru Rinpoche’), and Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel.
Born Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha Sakyamuni is the most depicted figure in Buddhism. Just as depicted here, he is most often sitting with his legs crossed on a lotus throne with his right-hand touching the earth and his left hand, with the palm up, above his lap. The Buddha has blueish hair, long earlobes and is dressed in an orange robe. The sculpture of Guru Rinpiche is easily distinguishable due to his unique mustache. He carries a droje (pronounced “door-jay) in his right hand and skull cup in his left hand. Leaning across his shoulder is a trident with three heads that represent victory over desire, anger, and ignorance. Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal is commonly known as “the unifier” of Bhutan. Shabdrung wears silk robes and has a green halo around his head. He is easily identified by his distinctive pointed beard.
All three jinzo sculptures inside the Lhakhang at UTEP, Sakyamuni, Guru Rinpoche, and the Shabdrung, were crafted by master jinzo artists in Bhutan specifically for display during the Bhutan program at the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. They were subsequently transported to UTEP as part of the overall Lhakhang related collection of traditional Bhutanese art and cultural expression, which in its integrated totality comprises one of the best examples found anywhere outside of Bhutan.
The Story of Buddha
Painting iv
Buddha's mother died shortly after his birth. Therefore, after achieving enlightenment, Buddha ascended into heaven in order to share his wisdom with his mother and the gods and goddesses there. His disciples ascended to heaven and escorted the Buddha back to earth to continue his teachings. In this painting, Buddha has returned to teach the disciples he had been studying with in the first Sangha, or community.
In this classic image, Buddha's right hand is raised with a gesture or mudra that communicates reassurance and protection. The right hand is raised almost to shoulder level with the palm facing outwards and the fingers upright to form the stylized classic gesture. The left hand rests in his lap in the contemplative pose also captured by the other large image of Buddha and the sculpture that is inside the lhakhang. The image is sometimes understood to convey the teaching aspects of Sakyamuni' s life experience.
Buddha is seated on a stylized lotus blossom, which is a popular type of iconic imagery found throughout south Asia. The flower represents purification, symbolized by its beauty when in bloom, as the full blossoming of human potential when lived according to principles associated with wisdom and compassion.
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The Story of Buddha
Painting iv
Buddha's mother died shortly after his birth. Therefore, after achieving enlightenment, Buddha ascended into heaven in order to share his wisdom with his mother and the gods and goddesses there. His disciples ascended to heaven and escorted the Buddha back to earth to continue his teachings. In this painting, Buddha has returned to teach the disciples he had been studying with in the first Sangha, or community.
In this classic image, Buddha's right hand is raised with a gesture or mudra that communicates reassurance and protection. The right hand is raised almost to shoulder level with the palm facing outwards and the fingers upright to form the stylized classic gesture. The left hand rests in his lap in the contemplative pose also captured by the other large image of Buddha and the sculpture that is inside the lhakhang. The image is sometimes understood to convey the teaching aspects of Sakyamuni' s life experience.
Buddha is seated on a stylized lotus blossom, which is a popular type of iconic imagery found throughout south Asia. The flower represents purification, symbolized by its beauty when in bloom, as the full blossoming of human potential when lived according to principles associated with wisdom and compassion.