A place for prayer
A sacred setting for worship, ritual and the accumulation of collective merit.
Dewachen Spiritual Centre
A SacredLandscape
A contemporary Pure Land for contemplation, Dharma learning, compassionate care and spiritual awakening within Gelephu Mindfulness City.
Konchogling · Gelephu Mindfulness City · Bhutan
A spiritual anchor within a new city.
Within Gelephu Mindfulness City
Southern Bhutan · A place where spiritual practice, civic life and landscape are held together.
A sacred place within a new city.
Gelephu Mindfulness City is being built upon the conviction that economic progress, human flourishing and care for the natural world must remain connected.
Dewachen will give that conviction a spiritual home. Envisioned under the guidance of the Tsuglag Lopen of Bhutan's Central Monastic Body, it will be a place of prayer, study, contemplation and encounter.
The meaning of Dewachen
The Pure Land,
of great bliss.
Dewachen, also known as Sukhavati, is the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha: a realm of great bliss and awakening.
Bliss here does not mean comfort or escape. It points towards the peace that arises from wisdom, compassion and freedom from suffering.
The Dewachen Spiritual Centre gives contemporary expression to this aspiration: a sacred landscape where architecture, Dharma learning, contemplative practice and the natural environment support one another.
The vision
Four intentions,
held together as one.
A place for learning
A centre where Buddhist teachings, scholarship and Bhutan's spiritual inheritance can be studied and shared.
A place for contemplation
A quiet landscape in which visitors and practitioners can turn inward and cultivate awareness.
A place of encounter
A setting for meaningful dialogue among spiritual practitioners, scholars, leaders and people seeking a more compassionate way of living.
Rooted. Open.
Rooted in Bhutan.
Open to the world.
Bhutan's spiritual heritage remains a living tradition. It is carried through monasteries, teachers, rituals, sacred arts, communities and the daily conduct of people.
Dewachen will preserve this depth while creating a thoughtful point of encounter with the wider world. It will not translate Buddhism into a generic wellness experience. It will offer visitors access to an authentic spiritual tradition with care, clarity and respect.
The project within GMC
A spiritual anchor within Gelephu Mindfulness City.
Located at Konchogling, Dewachen is conceived as a major sacred landscape institution within Gelephu Mindfulness City: a place where its spiritual foundations can be experienced directly through place, practice and community.
Explore the PlaceThe project brief is established. Master planning and architectural design are underway.
The physical vision
Sacred, contemplative and shared spaces, woven into landscape.
The Three-Kaya Temple, seven jewel temples and Padma Lake form the sacred heart, joined by spaces for learning, retreat, welcome and the everyday life of monastic and lay communities.
Enter the Sacred Project →Programme shown from the current project brief; final form will develop through design.
བདེ་བ་ཅན།
Space reserved for an approved portrait and message.
Institutional content pending
A message
A message from the Tsuglag Lopen.
“An approved message from the Tsuglag Lopen will appear here.”
Editor note: do not generate or fabricate a quotation.
Project journey
A multigenerational undertaking.
01
Project intent
Completed — Brief established
The spiritual, cultural, architectural, ecological and operational intent has been set out in the project brief.
02
Site identification
Completed — Konchogling
An approximately 30-acre hilltop site has been identified at Konchogling within Gelephu Mindfulness City.
03
Master plan and architecture
Underway — Current phase
Development of a coherent sacred landscape, precinct plan, architectural language and environmental systems.
04
Consultation and design development
Upcoming — Programme to be confirmed
Detailed work with monastic authorities, communities, craftspeople, specialist designers and operational partners.
05
Phased construction
Pending confirmation — Programme to be confirmed
Construction of the sacred core, learning and care precincts, residences, water systems and contemplative landscape.
06
Consecration and continuing life
Pending confirmation — Long-term
Consecration followed by prayer, study, retreat, care and cultural exchange as a continuing undertaking.
Built as an offering
Built as an offering.
Dewachen will be created through the effort and generosity of many people.
Architects, monastics, artisans, engineers, volunteers and benefactors will each contribute to a shared undertaking: building a sacred place for present and future generations.
Every offering, large or small, will become part of that work.
Offering pathways
Ways to contribute.
General Offering
Contribute broadly to the creation and continuing life of Dewachen.
ExploreBuild Dewachen
Support the construction of sacred architecture and the physical fabric of the site.
ExploreSacred Arts and Craftsmanship
Support master artisans working in carving, painting, textile and metal.
ExploreMonastic Learning and Spiritual Programmes
Support scholarship, teaching and the continuity of contemplative practice.
ExploreOffer in Honour or Memory
Make an offering in the name of a teacher, family member or loved one.
ExploreBecome a Sustaining Patron
Commit to ongoing support across the project's multigenerational horizon.
ExploreStewardship and transparency
Stewardship and transparency.
The final website will explain who receives contributions, how funds are governed, how expenditure is reported and how supporters can follow project progress.
- Project leadership
- Information pending confirmation
- Fund recipient
- Information pending confirmation
- Governance
- Governance details to be published
- Financial oversight
- Financial reporting framework to be added
- Progress reporting
- Reports pending publication
- Contact
- Contact details pending
Teachings & stories
Reading from and around the project.
Teachings
What Does Dewachen Mean?
An introduction to Dewachen, Sukhavati, and the layers of meaning it carries in the Buddhist tradition.
6 min read
Architecture
Sacred Architecture and the Experience of Place
How proportion, material and light are used in Bhutanese sacred architecture to shape inward attention.
9 min read
Bhutanese Spiritual Heritage
The Living Spiritual Heritage of Bhutan
A brief orientation to Bhutan's monastic institutions, sacred arts and the continuity of its Buddhist inheritance.
7 min read