The Archive of Buli Gonpa, like other monastic archives, contains an extensive collection of religious scriptures, including a set of Kanjur texts, various sutras, and other miscellaneous works. While most of the collection consists of meticulously handwritten manuscripts—inscribed in uchen and umey scripts with black ink on cream-colored handmade Bhutanese paper—there are also notable exceptions. The Kanjur is a printed version based on the Narthang xylograph, and two volumes stand out as golden scriptures, written in gold ink on dark blue paper. As a revered sacred relic, the Archive of Buli Gonpa is carefully preserved within the library of the Wogmin Lhündrup Ösel Chöling Monastery, which is attached to the central tower of Buli Gonpa. The collection is housed on traditional bookshelves, wrapped in layers of protective cloth, and secured between two wooden boards fastened with a string. This meticulous preservation reflects the profound reverence and care with which this spiritual treasure is maintained.
Extent: 1 collection of manuscripts containing 166 volumes.
Custodial history: Buli Gonpa was once a major center of the Dorling Tradition of Buddhism in Bhutan, thriving under the stewardship of nine successive Lamas known as the Buli Trulku. However, following an issue that arose during the tenure of the 9th Buli Trulku, Khachab Dorje, the monastery came under the jurisdiction of the Monastic Body of Trongsa. Although the Trongsa Monastic Body appointed a Lama to oversee the temple, day-to-day management was often left to a caretaker who could only provide minimal offerings. In 2017, Buli Gonpa experienced a revival with the establishment of the Monastic School for Higher Buddhist Studies of the Dorling Tradition. Since then, the archive has been meticulously cared for by the monastic community, led by the Lama of the temple, ensuring its preservation and continued reverence.
Arrangement: The collection lacks a systematic arrangement or specific order. However, the archive of Buli Gonpa has categorized it into two primary groups: the Buli Gonpa Manuscript, which encompasses a diverse range of texts, and the Buli Gonpa Kanjur Tog, which includes the opening pages of the Kanjur.
Author(s)/Creator(s): The majority of the manuscripts other than the Kanjur set were likely crafted within the temple premises by various individuals at different points in time, spanning from the late 18th to the 19th century.
