The temple is located at Kurje in the Chokhor valley, Jakar. It is 15 minutes drive from Chamkhar town.
Kurje Lhakhang
The history of the temples at Kurje is associated with Sendha Gyab, popularly known as Sindhu Raja and the visit of Guru Rinpoche to Bumthang in 746 AD. Sendah Gyab invited Guru Rinpoche from Yanglayshey (meditation cave of Guru) in Nepal to Bhutan. The reason behind the invitation was to subdue the evil spirits and demons harming the people and especially to get back the King’s soul from the guardian deity named Shelging Karpo who had cursed the King with a terrible illness. Upon this invitation, Guru Rinpoche came to Bumthang and meditated there in a cave named Dragmar Dorji Tsegpa, meaning a red coloured cave that resembles a pile of vajras (dorjis). After subduing the evil spirits and demons and having restored the soul of the King, imprints of the Guru Rinpoche’s body remained. Thereafter, the name came to be known as Kurje meaning-imprint of the body. The present place of the Lhakhang remains as a blessed and historical site.

There are three main temples at Kurje. The oldest temple was constructed by Minjur Tenpa in 1652 on the site where Guru Rinpoche meditated when he was serving as the first Trongsa Penlop (Governor of Trongsa). The main relics of this temple are the statues of Buddhas (past: Amitabha, present: Sakyamuni, future: Maitreya). There are also wall paintings of 21 Taras and divinities associated with wealth and fortune.

The second temple was founded by Trongsa Penlop Ugyen Wangchuck in 1900 while serving as the 13th Trongsa Penlop. This temple is the most sacred as it was built in the place where Guru Rinpoche left his body imprint. The temple was mainly built to house a statue of Guru Rinpoche (about 12 meters high) built to bring peace and prosperity to Bhutan. It is not possible to see the body imprint of Guru Rinpoche as it is behind the statue.

The third temple was built in the 1990s. It was sponsored by the Queen Mother Ashi Kezang Choden Wangchuck. It houses the Khenlop Choesum Lhakhang (temple of Guru Rinpoche, King Thrisong Detsen and Pandit Santarakshita), Phurba lhakhang (temple of Vajrakila) and Neten Chudrug lhakhang (temple of the Sixteen arhats) and the Tsenmar Neykhang (chapel of the guardian deity), among several others.

The 4th King and late Mayum Chonying Wangmo Dorji also contributed to the Kurje lhakhang.

In front of the three temples are stupas dedicated to the first three kings of Bhutan. There are 108 stupas around the three temples that symbolize Buddha’s victory over the evil spirits. The cypress tree near the entrance is said to be the off shoot of Guru Rinpoche’s walking stick.

The drupchhu (holy water), about one hundred meters above the temple, is said to have been created by the Guru Rinpoche.

Later in the 20th century, they also built a temple housing Kagong. The statues of Buddha Sakyamuni, Neten chudrug (sixteen Arhats) and the guardian kings of the four directions are housed in the ground floor.