Thongphu Lhakhang is located in Shongphu gewog, a subdistrict in Bhutan's Trashigang province, at the east end of the country. It stands at an elevation of about 2,500 meters, about midway down the north-facing slope of a 4,000-meter mountain ridge. The age of the lhakhang is not certain, but it likely dates to at least the late 19th century, if not earlier.

The old lhakhang is a square, one-story structure with attached porches on the north and south facades, with the main entrance to the south. The west face of the central structure includes a red khemar band on the upper register and a long row of embedded prayer wheels near the ground level. On the east facade, overlooking the sparsely populated alpine valleys, is a tall set of three-tiered parop rabsel windows providing floor-to-ceiling illumination. The shamig panels flanking the windows, which are usually left bare, are instead painted with various Buddhist symbols such as the conch (representing power and authority) and the endless knot, expressing the

interconnectedness of all things.

The lhakhang is topped with a beautifully rendered three-tiered jabzhi style roof. Instead of the usual sertog finial, the roof is crowned with an umbrella-like element known as a gyeltshen, representing the victory of compassion and goodness. While many gyeltshen are symbolically rendered in metal, the gyeltshen here is made of cloth.

Other structures on-site include a new lhakhang to the southwest, higher up the hillside, and a small shrine directly south of the lhakhang. West of the lhakhang is a Tibetan-style chorten and a tall prayer flagpole.

Source:

—Asian Historical Architecture