Tango Choeling Phodrang (དར་དགའ་ཆོས་གླིང་ཕོ་བྲང་།), also known as Tango Monastery, is a significant national heritage site located in Thimphu, Bhutan. It represents the country’s cultural legacy, both in physical artifacts and intangible values.

Built between 1688 and 1689, the monastery reflects Bhutan’s rich religious and artistic traditions. Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye (རྒྱལ་སྲས་བསྟན་འཛིན་རབ་རྒྱས།, 1638-1696), a respected religious leader, commissioned the construction of the temple. His biography records detailed accounts of the construction process, the sacred relics, mural paintings, and the artists involved. These records provide valuable evidence that makes the mural paintings of Tango Monastery a rare and authentic artifact of its time.

The murals in the central tower of Tango Monastery belong to the Menlug (མེན་ལུགས།) painting tradition. This artistic style began with the famous 15th-century artist Menkhang Menla Dondrup (མན་ཁང་སྨན་བླ་དོན་གྲུབ།). His works became popular during the rule of Phagdrik (ཕག་དྲིགས།) in Tibet.

Menla Dondrup developed a new style by combining the best features of Newar and Central Tibetan painting traditions. He mastered these techniques and introduced his distinctive artistic approach. The Menlug style is known for its bright color palette and the generous use of gold pigments. The paintings display figures in lively postures with detailed decorations. Natural elements and Chinese stylistic motifs often fill the background space, making the murals look vibrant and dynamic.

Tango Monastery today stands not only as a sacred religious site but also as a treasure trove of Bhutanese art history. It preserves a unique artistic tradition that connects Bhutan with Tibet’s spiritual and cultural heritage.

Original article was published in Kuensel, Bhutan’s National Newspaper, article titled “The Rescue of 17th Century Wall Painting of Tango Monastery” on December 11, 2023.