The Remote 14th-Century Bhutanese Fortress Steeped in Buddhist Heritage

Located in Bhutan’s Bumthang District, Ogyen Choling dates back more than 650 years, serving first as a gompa (monastery), then as a dzong (administrative fortress that houses a local lord and family), and as a nagtshang (manor house) for centuries after. Many of the original structures were leveled in a June 1897 earthquake but were rebuilt to their present state in the years following. Bhutanese author Kunzang Choden, pictured here, marks the 20th generation of her family to live on the estate and care for its heritage; it was passed to her by her father, the complex’s prior landlord. She returned to Bhutan permanently in 1996 after yearslong stints in India, Nebraska, the Philippines, and Laos, starting in the ’60s. The mural behind her in the two-story tsug lhakhang (temple) is one of the manor’s many dedicated to figures like Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism; Guru Rinpoche, the Buddhist master credited with bringing the religion to Bhutan; Dorji Lingpa, the ancient religious leader of Ogyen Choling; and Gonpo Maning, a local protective Buddhist deity.