Chimi Lhakhang
Perched on a round hillock in the fertile agricultural basin of Sopsokha, Chimi Lhakhang is a 15th-century sanctuary founded by Ngawang Chogyal and sanctified by the eccentric saint Drukpa Kunley, famously known as the “Divine Madman.” Renowned throughout the region as a fertility temple, it attracts couples from across Bhutan and around the world seeking child-blessings. The surrounding village of Sopsokha is celebrated for its distinctive folklore art, with traditional timber-and-rammed-earth farmhouses painted with protective symbols and phallus motifs designed to ward off negative spirits.
Reaching the sanctuary involves a gentle 20-to-30-minute walk through open rice paddy bunds and small farmsteads where villagers harvest seasonal red rice and dry red chillies on metal roofs. Inside the modest temple hall, travelers observe local pilgrims receiving traditional fertility blessings with a ceremonial wooden phallus and a 500-year-old bow and arrow. The courtyard offers a quiet, grounded village vantage point with views of prayer wheels spinning in the breeze across the lower valley floor.
