Druk Zangri Kharmar

Located in the heart of northeastern Bhutan’s mountains, in Menbi Gewog, Lhuentse district, lies a hidden treasure known to but a few, Druk Zangri Khangmar.

Druk Zangri Khangmar means ‘The Bhutanese (Druk) Zangri Kharmar (The Red Citadel of the Copper Mountain)’, which is the stronghold of Machik Labdrön in Central Tibet.

This mountaintop village shelters the community of practitioners ignited in 1952 by Trülshik Rigdzin Lingpa, a direct student of Shuksep Lochen Chönyi Zangmo (1865-1953).

While still in Tibet, Trülshik Rigdzin Lingpa had a vision of dakinis instructing him to save the tradition of Machik Labdrön by relocating to a place shaped like a fully blossomed lotus, in a land ruled by a Dharma king. It so happened that Trülshik Rigdzin Lingpa had a Bhutanese disciple, Tokden Tséwang Chöpel.

By applying to the local governor and to the third king of Bhutan for permission to grant the Tibetans refugees a portion of his family’s ancestral land in Bhutan, Tokden Tsewang Chöpel enabled the fulfillment of the prophesy. Thus, Druk Zangri Khangmar came to be.

Through this, Tokden Tsewang Chöpel helped his teacher to settled in Rawabi.

After the passing of Trülshik Rigdzin Lingpa, Tokden Tséwang Chöpel became the leader of the community of Druk Zangri Khangmar, and later transferred this responsability to his son Lama Rigdzin Longyang (1956-2025).

Since the passing of Lama Rigdzin Longyang in 2025, Druk Zangri Khangmar is now led by Khenpo Rigdzin.