Changangkha Lhakhang, Buddhist temple on eastern ridge of Thimphu, Bhutan

Changangkha Lhakhang is a compact temple complex on a ridge jutting toward central Thimphu, probably the oldest surviving temple in the city. Its main temple, with a huge seated bronze statue of the eleven-headed Avalokiteśvara, faces a black Gönkhang across a small courtyard that holds a simple outdoor shrine to a tsömen spirit. A circumambulation wall with prayer-wheel niches and slate reliefs of Kagyu lamas encircles the complex on three sides.

The temple was founded in the 13th century by Nyima, the son of Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, and was one of the first centers of Drukpa Kagyu Buddhism in the region. Its founding helped shape the religious life of Thimphu over the centuries that followed.

Parents bring small children to the temple to seek blessings from Genyen Domtsangpa, the birth deity and protector of children born at Thimphu's JDWNRH national referral hospital. The Gönkhang facing the main temple across the courtyard is considered his residence, and its wall paintings are the oldest surviving murals in Bhutan; only Bhutanese men may enter it.

The main temple's inner shrine is usually closed to the public, but the principal image can be seen from the adjoining section where the lamas sit. The Gönkhang across the courtyard admits only Bhutanese men. Behind the main temple, stepped paths descend through terraces of small chöten with views of Thimphu in three directions. Proper dress and decorum are required.

The temple holds over 100 volumes of ancient Kangyur manuscripts written in gold ink that most visitors never get to see. Once a year, meditation practitioners gather to recite these texts aloud during a ceremony held inside the complex.