In Gelephu, as the Mindfulness City continues to take shape, a new cultural and spiritual landmark is being constructed at its entrance. A four-storey Tabab Chorten is being built to mark the gateway to the historic Gelephu Mindfulness City. To ensure the chorten reflects Bhutan’s timeless architecture, DeSuups engaged in the construction, are trained in traditional stonemasonry and wall construction techniques.
Ten DeSuups who are skilled in masonry along with foreign workers are involved in constructing the Tabab Chorten.
The DeSuups are specifically working on building a traditional stone wall around the chorten, preserving age-old techniques and ensuring that the structure reflects Bhutan’s timeless architecture for visitors.
The Tabab Chorten, which means where travellers would dismount their riding horse and walk as a sign of respect in the past, is being constructed at Namkhaling.
The DeSuups participating in the construction said that this experience will help them develop skills and manage future projects independently, without having to rely on foreign workers.
“Before, moving here, I worked for several companies on a contract basis. Here, I have learned to build traditional walls, cut stones using machine and chip them by hand, guided by a local expert who previously worked on dzong construction,” said Arun Kumar Sarki, a deSuup.
“We cut stones as per the measurements and shape them to perfection. Currently, we are focused on wall construction with our team and have developed expertise in stone cutting. In the future, our youths will be capable of managing these kinds of projects independently, instead of relying on skilled labourers from other countries,” said Tshewang Dorji, another deSuup.
“I have worked on wall construction at other sites before but we were not familiar with traditional stone wall techniques back then. Now, we have learned a bit about it here. In the future, I hope to see DeSuups participating in constructing chortens and Dzongs and I look forward to share this knowledge with other DeSuups,” said Jai Narayan Uptiti, also a deSuup.
The Tabab Chorten is being constructed at cost of Nu 300 M and is expected to be ready in about eight months. The constructions began in early June this year.
Karma Wangdi, Gelephu
Edited by Sonam Pem
