Memorial Chorten, Buddhist stupa in Thimphu, Bhutan
The Memorial Chorten, also known as the National Memorial Stupa, stands in the city centre of Thimphu at a busy junction near several ministry buildings. The whitewashed walls rise from a wide square platform, crowned by a gilded tower spire with bell motifs and hanging brass chains at the corners.
The queen mother Ashi Phuntsho Choden commissioned the construction starting in 1974 to honour the third king Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who had passed away two years earlier. Architects chose Tibetan models and added wall paintings illustrating teachings from Himalayan tantric traditions.
Devotees spin a belt of prayer wheels that encircle the building, murmuring verses from sacred texts as they pass. Families burn juniper branches in large bowls on the central courtyard and bow before entering through the painted doors into the dim prayer hall.
Visitors can walk through the three public floors without a guide, using wooden staircases that narrow as they ascend. The path around the building begins at the main entrance and follows paved walkways that remain accessible for elderly people.
On the ground floor, a framed portrait of the third king in ceremonial attire stands in place of human remains. Many residents come early in the morning or after sunset, when temperatures are more comfortable and fewer tourists are present.
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