Spiritual · Haa, Bhutan
Lhakhang Karpo, Nagpo and the three brother hills
Visit the White and Black temples at the foot of Miri Punsum, the three brother hills that guard Haa, and hear how a local deity, a sacred oak and a feud shaped the valley's rituals.
Photo: Leovdvxxx · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsLocal historians hold that Lhakhang Karpo, the White Temple, and Lhakhang Nagpo, the Black Temple, were built in the 7th century, in the same era as Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro. They stand near each other at Miri Punsum, below three hills named for the bodhisattvas Jampelyang, Chana Dorji and Chenrezig, collectively called the three brothers.
Near the Black Temple, a sacred oak marks where a local deity once appeared as a winged creature. The story told in Haa is of two houses that made offerings to it; the deity favoured the upper house, a feud followed, and every 11th lunar month special rites are still held in the upper house for a week. Valley deities from before Buddhism remain important here.
Lhakhang Karpo is now a monastic school and hosts the Haa Tshechu in October; the 2026 tentative calendar listed 19–21 October. Walk clockwise round both temples, ask before photographing and leave a small donation. A chorten nearby marks a rock said to carry an imprint of Guru Rinpoche's body and hat.
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Questions
Before you book
How old are Haa's White and Black temples?
Local historians date them to the 7th century, the same era as Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro, though both have been rebuilt over time. Lhakhang Karpo is now a monastic school and the venue of the Haa Tshechu.
When is the Haa Tshechu?
In autumn, usually October. The 2026 tentative calendar listed 19–21 October at Lhakhang Karpo. Haa's festival is small and local, with few foreign visitors. Check current status before you travel.
Can I go inside the temples?
Usually yes, with your guide, when a caretaker is present. Remove shoes and hats, do not photograph inside and walk clockwise. Some inner shrines are closed to visitors.