The remote Himalayan kingdom and the University of Texas at El Paso share a special relationship, thanks to the campus's architectural design more than a century ago.
The Detours series celebrates lesser-known locales worth visiting across the state.
The University ofTexas at El Paso’s unlikely relationship with the small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan dates to 1917, when the institution—then the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy—moved to the foothills of the Franklin Mountains. Inspired by National Geographic photos of the remote country’s mountain fortresses, the dean’s wife pushed for campus buildings to be designed in the Bhutanese architectural style. Visitors today can admire their thick, sloping walls, high inset windows, overhanging roofs, and brick-mosaic borders. They can also see an authentic Bhutanese structure. Originally constructed for a festival in Washington, D.C., the Lhakhang (which roughly translates to “temple”) was given to the school in 2008 to honor a special friendship—Bhutanese students have attended UTEP for decades. Built without nails by artisans in Bhutan, the temple consists of pieces fitted together like a giant three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Tours are available only a few hours each week, but they are worth it to take in the dazzling interior.
This article originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of Texas Monthly with the headline “From Bhutan to the Border.” Subscribe today.
The temple’s lung-go “flying” roof, which is made of corrugated metal, is painted maroon, which in Bhutan signifies an important public building.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Painted images of dragons can be seen on the doors to the Lhakhang. Bhutan is known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon because of the violent thunderstorms that often form in the Himalayas.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Carved and painted objects adorn the exterior. The Bhutanese royal family didn’t become aware of the UTEP campus’s architectural homage to the tiny, secluded nation until the sixties, when the writer Dale Walker, who at the time was editing the university magazine, sent a letter to the family asking for comment on the school’s design.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Dragon heads decorate the four corners on the exterior of the Lhakhang. UTEP’s first Bhutanese student graduated in 1978. Today, the school has more than sixty Bhutanese students, a significant representation from a country whose population (880,000) is about equal to El Paso County’s.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Depicted on the top of the door frame of the entrance are two deer facing a dharma wheel, its eight spokes representing Buddha’s teachings.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
The ceiling is supported by four hand-milled columns, called kachen, that were sourced from a single log of blue pine.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Floor to ceiling paintings on stretched linen depict the story and teachings of Buddhism, the country’s official religion, and how Buddhism came to Bhutan.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
The Durdag Cham (the Dance of the Lords of Cremation Ground), is one of the figures on display inside the Lhakang. Monks wear symbolic costumes and masks during annual festivals where they perform sacred dances.
