Religious Building · Paro, Bhutan
Paro Taktsang
A sacred cliffside monastery known as the Tiger's Nest, the cultural icon of Bhutan. Built 1692.
Photo: Gerd Eichmann via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Paro, Bhutan |
|---|---|
| Type | Religious Building |
| Built | 1692 |
| Coordinates | 27.4919° N, 89.3635° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Paro Taktsang is known for
A sacred cliffside monastery known as the Tiger's Nest, the cultural icon of Bhutan.
About Paro Taktsang
Paro Taktsang, also known as the Taktsang Palphug Monastery and the Tiger's Nest, is a sacred Vajrayana Himalayan Buddhist site located in the cliffside of the upper Paro valley in Bhutan. It is one of thirteen Tiger's Nest caves in which Padmasambhava practiced and taught Vajrayana. A later monastery complex was built in 1692 by the 4th Druk Desi Tenzin Rabgey around the Taktsang Senge Samdup cave, where Guru Padmasambhava meditated and practised with students, including Yeshe Tsogyal, before departing the kingdom of Tibet in the early 9th century. Padmasambhava is credited with introducing Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan.
History
The first sanctuary to be built in the area dates to the 14th century, when Sonam Gyeltshen, a Nyingmapa lama of the Kathogpa branch, came from Tibet. The wish of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to build a temple here was fulfilled during the 4th Druk Desi Tenzin Rabgye, who laid the foundation for the temple dedicated to Guru Rinpoche during the Tshechu season of 1692. On April 19, 1998, a fire broke out in the main building of the monastery complex, and the restoration of the damaged monastery and its contents was completed in 2005.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Paro |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Paro Airport (PBH) |
| Distance from the airport | 5.2 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark's coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Paro International Airport (PBH) · Paro, Bhutan · 7.2 miles away
- Bagdogra Airport (IXB) · Siliguri, India · 84.8 miles away
- Xigaze Peace Airport / Shigatse Air Base (RKZ) · Xigazê (Samzhubzê), China · 128.5 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Bhutan
More religious buildings
Frequently asked questions
What is Paro Taktsang?
A sacred cliffside monastery known as the Tiger's Nest, the cultural icon of Bhutan.
Where is Paro Taktsang located?
Paro Taktsang is in Paro, Bhutan. Its coordinates are 27.4919° N, 89.3635° E.
How do I get to Paro Taktsang?
The nearest town is Paro, and the nearest airport is Paro Airport (PBH), about 5.2 miles away (straight line).
When was Paro Taktsang built?
Paro Taktsang was built 1692.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paro_Taktsang — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2209873 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.