Gomphu Kora Tsechu

Venue: Gomphu Kora grounds
Visiting Places: Western, Central and Eastern Bhutan.
Entry: Paro
Exit: Guwahati, Assam, India.

One can enter and exit from either Guwahati or Paro. If you enter from Paro, you will travel from the west to the east and leave from Guwahati. It will be the reverse if you enter from Guwahati. One can also decide to enter from Guwahati, watch the Tsechu and exit from Guwahati.

One of the most awaited and popular festivals in eastern Bhutan, the Tsechu have an element of love associated to it. In the past, the festival served as an avenue where people chose their spouses, the first meeting occurring during the evening circumambulations. While this practice has dwindled, it is still alive.

The festival is held in one of the most sacred religious sites in Bhutan. Gomkora derives its name from “Gomphu Kora” – “Gom” meaning meditation; “Phu” cave and “Kora” circumambulation.

Associated with Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava), it is said that the Guru meditated in a cave for three months and subdued the demon, Mongkhapa, locally known as Sewang Nagpo, who had fled Tibet and hidden in a rock at Gomkora.

Apart from Bhutanese, the Dakpa tribe from Tawang, the bordering Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, also join in the festive.