Ogyen Choling Manor Museum

Embrace Bhutan Cultural Tour

Bumthang | Bhutan

14 Nov 2019 | Thu

Day 08 of 13

Ogyen Choling Lochoe Home Ceremony
Group Prayer Flag Ceremony at Ogyen Choling Manor
Ogyen Choling Village Countryside Walkabout
Lunch at Ogyen Choling Manor
Bhutanese Dance Demonstration
Ogyen Choling Manor Museum

Ogyen Choling Manor Museum

Ogyen Choling Manor (Guest House) – a national treasure, privately owned by the same family for hundreds of years. It’s remote location makes it one of the less frequently visited historical sites in Bhutan, hosting fewer than two hundred guests per year. The best part of the Manor is the quaint museum housing permanent exhibits on three floors in the main building and the Utse, the central tower. Traditional living quarters are recreated to capture the realistic ambiance of the ancient lifestyles and conditions of the households. Everyday kitchen and weaving utensils, war weapons–including gun powder made from petrified yak dung-tools and farming implements are the main part of the exhibits.

– Embrace Bhutan Travel

After lunch and the Bhutanese dance demonstration (by our guide “dancing” Tashi), it was time to tour the Ogyen Choling Manor Museum. This was a real treat as it gave us a glimpse into the lifestyles and living conditions of the Bhutanese religious nobility during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Traditional Bhutanese Architecture at Ogyen Choling Manor Museum

The Ogyen Choling Heritage House started operation in 2016. The Ogyen Choling manor built in 1898, is a historic, cultural site, with its origin going back to the 14th Century. The central tower of the manor was converted to become the first private museum in Bhutan. It was opened in 2001.

– Ogyen Choling Heritage House Website About

Display of Traditional Bhutanese Soldier Clothing from 19th Century

The museum building does not have electricity (as of November 2019) and can only be visited during daylight hours. Because of this many of our pictures did not turn out very well.

Example of Many Masks and Traditional Bhutanese Clothing on Display

The Ogyen Choling Estate provides an excellent insight into the lifestyles and living conditions of a typical landed family over the last century. The heirs of Ogyen Choling decided to convert parts of their ancestral home to a museum. This decision was made with the hope of sharing this heritage with as many people as possible and at the same time to preserve and maintain Ogyen Choling as a religious and cultural center. The museum was formally opened in May 2001.

Traditional living quarters, store rooms, granaries and other rooms have been recreated to capture the ‘near realistic’ ambience of the lifestyles and living conditions of households of the religious nobility during the 19th and 20th century.

Utilitarian everyday utensils, tools and implements as well as examples of artistic expressions through artworks and crafts form part of the exhibition. Wherever appropriate, narratives are provided to give some background information on specific topics and artifacts.

– Ogyen Choling Foundation Museum