From the archive record
Bhutanese men wearing the Bhutanese national dress, gho are seen unfurling the Thongdrel at Kurjey lhakhang in Bumthang, Bhutan. Monks are playing jaling (oboes), dungchen (long telescopic trumplet) and drums while people come to get blessings of the Guru Thongdrel. It is closing ceremony of Thongdrel unfurling at Kurjay Lhakhang, Bumthang. The thongdrel in Kurjey Lhakhang is of the Guru Rinpoche, Guru Padmasambhava. A Thongdrel is a large appliqué religious image normally only unveiled during tsechus, the main religious festivals in Bhutan. They are the largest form of thangka paintings in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Thongdrels typically depict a seated Guru Rinpoche surrounded by holy beings in a composition unlike most smaller thangkas, it is in a "landscape" format. Source : e