It is located at the centre of Taktse Village overviewing the entire village. The temple is surrounded by houses and adjacent to it lies the College of Language and Culture Studies (CLCS).
In the past, the temple used to serve as the winter residence of the Bumthang Choedra Lama. The historical legends of the Taktse Sang Ngag Chholing Lhakhang, locally called Taktse Lhakhang is unclear. So far there is no reliable confirmation or sources that talk about it.
However, the origin of name Taktse itself could be traced back to the time of Indian Prince Drimed Kuenden, who was sent to exile by his father. He came to a region called Dudri Hashang in Bhutan. Tatsel, the name of the place in a local dialect, ‘Ta’ means horse and ‘Tsel’ means the grant or gave. From there on the place was named as Taktse associated to the grant of a horse by a prince.
Sang Ngag Chholing is also called Tangchen Lhakhang due to its association with a Pond below the left of the Lhakhang, which is considered as La-tsho, Soul Lake.
In the local dialect ‘Tang-chen’ means big pond. Thus, a temple was also named as Tangchen Temple but today community calls Sang Ngag Chholing temple as Taktse Lhakhang.
According to the story, the powerful local deity who use to dwell on the opposite of the temple was being disturbed by the existing of the temple, hence started giving a problem to the people. Therefore, in order to appease the deity, the people started creating a pond right below the temple, where the mirror image of the temple was seen upside down when viewed from that mountain. Hence, the local deity was delighted to see the temple upside down in the water which sounded victory over it. Hence the village was protected from the evil side of this local deity.
As per the oral tradition, the Taktse Sang Ngag Chholing Lhakhang was built in the year 1680. Trongsa Poenlop Nanlungpa Sherub Lhendup built a two-story temple in the memory of the first Trongsa Poenlop Choygel Minjur Tempa.
Secondly, it was built for the welfare of Taktse villagers, so that they could conduct various ceremonies to benefits all sentient being. Thirdly, to impart the Buddha dharma to the communities.
During the time of Lama Hotsola, a temple was downgraded into one story. The reason was that Lama Hotsola received a complaint of the misfortune on the opposite side village of Tangsibeji because of the existence of lake and two-story temple. Therefore, Lama Hotsola, without proper analyzes commanded to downgrade to one story.
Later on, during the time of Choedra Lama Rinchen Dorji, the temple was renovated back into two-story structure as His Majesty issued a Royal edit to renovate the many temples and monastery in order to preserve and promote the teaching of Buddha in Bhutan. After the completion of the Sang Ngag Chholing temple, its believed that peace and prosperity prevailed in the community with timely rainfall and no wild animals could destroy the crops cultivated.
The two-story temple was built in traditional Bhutanese architectural form with extensive wood-works and stones. The courtyard is enclosed by the resident of the Lama and other rooms. In 2013, extensive renovation began and new paintings were made. The renovation ended in 2015.
The statue of Jowo Shakyamuni, the Lord Buddha with ornaments, is the main relic of the temple, which is considered very auspicious. Beside Jowo Shakyamuni there are statues of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), Medicinal Buddha (Sangay Menlha), Chana Dorji, Tadin Pow and also the mural paintings of the eight manifestations of Guru Padmasambhava, and Neten Chudruk (the sixteen famous elders, called arhats, who preached the Buddhist doctrine).
In the second floor, the relics are; the statues of the Kagyu lineages till Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. The temple also has a mural painting of the Jangchu Tongshag as mention in the biography of Gyaltse Tenzin Rabgay. In a second-floor mural painting of Kagyu lineages as same as that of Bumthang, Chodra Lhakhang was done. The relics of the Sang Ngag Chholing temple are considered as utmost important as it is very different from the modern one. According to Lama Rinchen Dorji; “the statue of Jowo Shakyamuni is same as that of the one in Lhasa which is believed to be wish-fulfilling and very sacred and rare in the country.” People also called Jowo Shakyamuni statue as Jowo sthupa sJa Delma, because the story says that we can still feel warm in the chest/heart of the statue. One of the unique features of the statue is in an auspicious days shining from a heart like sun rays and the in a shape of the face.
As stated by the Lama Jampel and elders people of the village; they urged that Jowo Shakyamuni statue is indispensable one for the communities. Firstly, once there was a severe outbreak of smallpox in the communities. It is believed that the outbreak of smallpox did not affect communities because such misfortune was consumed by the Jowo Shakyamuni. From there on, Jowo never manifested shining from heart and changes in facial appearance. Secondly, whatever, people had some problem; they pray and their most of their wishes are fulfilled.
The temples are blessed by being a winter residence of the seventh Je Khenpo Ngawang Thinley, also visited by various Buddhist master such as sixth Mind incarnation of the Zhabdrung Chogyley Jigme Tenzin, thirteen Je Khenpo Kuenga Jamtsho (1722-1772), Poenlop Khenpo Thubten Kuenga Gyaltshen (1894-1970), sixty Je Khenpo Ngawang Thinley (1916-1950), and seventy Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme chodra.
People of the Taktse villages considered Sanga Nagag Choling temple as venerated place for conducting the various ritual for the dead, alive, as well to benefits whole sentient being in general.
Peoples of the four Mangdue Valley also venerate a Sang Ngag Choling Lhakhang. This is well known as people from the different region also do visits for circumambulation, offering, and conducts a ritual in the temples in an auspicious day.
Even today, as a tradition elder villagers, offered the first harvest of the food crops and cash crops to show their great reverence to the temple. However, visitor fails to understand the significance of the temple as worship in the past.
A place for accumulation of merits; In Buddhist tradition, gaining merits is one of the ways to attain a Buddhahood. So, Sang Nagag Choling is one of the holy sites for the Taktse villagers and College of language and culture studies student and faculties to accumulate a merit to the Buddha, Dharma and Sanga. This is because there no barrier to accumulate merits base on be it rich, poor, old, young, but everyone can visit and can pay homage.
It served as cultural heritage sites; the temples served as one of the heritage sites as a tangible and intangible of the cultural heritage. This is because in temples we can see a unique traditional architectural style that has been passing from the generation to generation. Moreover, various rituals for different functions and purpose were performed inauspicious days by the public.
Social and Cultural Functions: Many social and cultural functions were hosts in the temple every year. They are;
· Recitation of the Kanjur; It usually starts from ninth and ends on thirteen of the first month of Bhutanese calendar.
· Zhabdrung Kuchoe; the Death anniversary of the Zhabdrung on the tenth day of the third Bhutanese calendar.
· On the seventh month of the Bhutanese Calendar from the five-ten recitation of the Guru Seldey leydenma.
· Nyungney is also a regular event of the temple. It falls on 11 months of the Bhutanese calendar day from thirteen to sixteen.
Trongsa Poenlop Nanalungpa Sherub Lhendup built the temple in 1680. Later on, Poenlop used to resides to and fro at Taktse and Trongsa. Once, Poenlop visited Bumthang and had a conversation with Je Khenpo Ngawang Thinley. At that time Poenlop offered Taktse Temple to the Je Khenpo to be winter residence. This indicates that from seventh Je Khenpo Ngawang Thinley onwards Taktse Temples came under the Zhung Dratshang, central Monastic Body.
Thus, 7th Je Khenpo Ngawang Thinley was first Lama and followed by Lama Drurkdra Jamtsho. However, many eminence lamas were appointed by the Trongsa Poenlop Jigme Namgyel and first King Ugyen Wangchuck to the Taktse Temple. Today, the temple is under the Trongsa Monastic Body and Lama, a priest is posted on a rotation basis from the Trongsa monastic body. A caretaker or Dzongpoen is in charge of the daily offerings and the maintenance of the temple.
References
Dorji, T. (2015). Ringzhung Research Journal, Issue 3. College of Language and Cultural studies, Taktse; Trongsa.
Key Informants:
Pema Thinley, Caretaker of Taktse Temple, Yuesa village;
Sonam Penjor, Former monk of Tharpaling monastery, Taktse village
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