The Yonphu Lhakhang Archive, like many other monastic collections, houses an extensive array of religious scriptures. Among its treasures are the complete sets of the Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines and the Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines, as well as a collection of Pema Lingpa’s treasure teachings and various other miscellaneous texts. The majority of these manuscripts are handwritten in uchen and ume scripts with black ink on cream-colored handmade Bhutanese paper. While most are written by hand, some are block prints, and all are carefully organized in the flexible poti style, spanning across a variety of volumes in different sizes and formats. Preserved as sacred relics, the Yonphu Lhakhang archive is housed within the temple, where it is reverently displayed on traditional bookshelves adjacent to the main shrine. Each manuscript is wrapped in layers of cloth and shielded by two wooden boards securely bound with string—protective measures that reflect the deep veneration and meticulous care with which these spiritual treasures are guarded.
Extent: 1 collection of manuscripts containing 172 volumes.
Custodial history: The collection of Yonphu Lhakhang was curated by the aristocratic Yonphu Choje family, who owned the Lhakhang. Subsequently, the Lhakhang was entrusted to the community and managed by caretakers under the guidance of the community Lam. In recent years, the community formally offered the Lhakhang to Yonphula Rinpoche. Consequently, today the Lhakhang is supervised by a lama and a caretaker appointed by Yonphula Rinpoche.
Arrangement: The collection at Yonphu Lhakhang lacks a systematic arrangement but is thoughtfully categorized into the following groups: the Collection of the Perfection of Wisdom in One Thousand Lines, the Collection of the Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines, the Collection of Heaps of Jewels, the Collection of Various Scriptures, the Collection of Pema Lingpa’s Treasure Teachings, and a selection of Miscellaneous Manuscripts.
Author(s)/Creator(s): The majority of the manuscripts in the Yonphu Lhakhang collection, with the exception of the block prints, are likely to have been created within the temple itself.
