Chendebji

A gigantic cypress tree stands below the village as if to welcome you as you approach the magical village of Chendebji, located at the confluence of Khebachu (male) and Maleychu (female) streams. Chendebji literally means the ‘Valley of Cypress’, a village often humorously referred to as one of the three bjis (Chendebji, Rukubji and Tangsibji) that the 15th Century Lama Drukpa Kuenley, the divine madman, refused to set foot on saying he will not visit places where the three bjis meet. The brightly painted village houses add a touch of vibrant colors to the lushly vegetated landscape that surrounds the village and is more famously known particularly for the large 19th century choeten (stupa) located below the highway five kilometers from Chendebji village, a chorten modeled after the Boudhnath Stupa of Kathmandu, Nepal, and the legend of Nyala Dhuem, a ferocious demon who is said to have terrorized the local communities before she was subdued and laid to rest where the chosen stands today.