Memorial Chorten Thimphu
The National Memorial Chorten, often known as the Thimphu Chorten, is a stupa (which means "chorten" in Bhutanese) near the capital city's centre. Being a large white stupa structure crowned with a golden spire, this beautiful Tibetan style chorten was built in 1974 to honor the Third Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1928–1972) and regarded as one of the most iconic monuments in Thimphu. Different from other common stupas, the National Memorial Chorten in Thimphu does not enshrine human remains. There is only a photo of the Druk Gyalpo in a ceremonial dress placed inside the ground floor's hall for daily praying. Besides popularly known as "the most visible religious landmark in Thimphu", the chorten is also an exceptional symbol of Buddhist architecture and artwork of Bhutanese by its exquisite paintings and intricate traditional sculptures.
