A small but unusual temple on the western bank of the Paro Chhu, built in 1421 by the Tibetan saint Thangtong Gyalpo — the same iron-bridge builder credited with engineering feats across the Himalayas. Where most Bhutanese temples are rectangular, Dumtseg is shaped like a chorten: a three-storey stupa structure with each floor representing one of the three Buddhist realms — hell, earth, and heaven. The murals inside, climbed via a ladder-like staircase, are among the finest surviving in Bhutan.
The temple is often locked outside of religious occasions; ask your guide to arrange access in advance if possible. Even seen from the outside the building is striking, and it pairs naturally with a visit to nearby Kyichu Lhakhang. Photography is forbidden inside.