Togden Rinpoche Zangdok Palri in Pema Kod, North East India
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Pema Kod (Hidden Land) is regarded as one of the most sacred places in the world, radiating Guru Rinpoche's blessings, where any accumulation of merit is said to be multiplied many times over. This holy land is described by Ian Baker in his book, The Heart of the World. The new temple is being built in the southern part of the hidden land, located in the extreme northeast region of India, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, a region untouched by the outside world.
The temple and its founder: Togden Kunzang Longdrol Rinpoche, Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok's previous incarnation, was one of the most venerated yogis in Southern Tibet. He spent his entire life wandering from retreat land to retreat land. As political turmoil broke out in Tibet, he fled to this part of the hidden land where he spent the remainder of his life. Due to his presence and a growing number of students, this part of the sacred hidden land evolved into a retreat land. Togden Rinpoche built this temple on the land "Deden Tashi Choling," in which he not only preserved the sacred objects and relics from Tibet but, most importantly, the Dudjom lineage itself. In time, this temple became the second most important lay-oriented, or "Ngakpa," gathering place in the Pema Kod region.
During his lifetime, it was Togden Rinpoche's aspiration to build a three-story temple in the style of Guru Rinpoche's Pureland Palace, Zangdok Palri. Due to Togden Rinpoche's advanced age, limited funds and natural resources, all he could accomplish was the creation of the one story temple, and the Three Kaya statues--Amitabha, Chenrezig, and Padmasambhava--that were to be placed in each of the three stories of the temple to be built by his students in the future. For the benefit of all beings, for the preservation of the spiritual legacy of this sacred land, and particularly for the fulfillment of Togden Rinpoche's aspiration, it is Tulku Orgyen's wish to undertake the tremendous task of constructing the three-story sanctuary that Togden Rinpoche envisioned.
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