Haa is situated in Haa Valley in the west of the Bhutan bordering Sikkim. The major economic activity is rice production, yak herding and trade with neighbouring China. Haa accommodates The Indian Military Training Team (also known as IMTRAT). IMTRAT is responsible for the training of the personnel of the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) and the Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan (RBG). It is the oldest training team sent outside India to a friendly-foreign nation.The place has a religious significance as Lhakhang Karpo and other monasteries are situated there.
SOME OF THE TOP ATTRACTIONS ARE :
HAA DZONG
is one of the newest dzongs in Bhutan. It was built in 1915 to replace a smaller structure. It is a large square structure with battered inward-sloping walls. The annual Haa summer festival is held here in the month of July.
CHHUNDU LHAKHANG
This temple is one of the many temples dedicated to Chhundu, the protective deity of Haa. It is a 5 minutes walk from Gaynekha.
LHAKHANG KARPO
It is one of the 108 temples built in one day by the Tibetan King Srongtsen Gampo. He built Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Nagpo in the Haa valley. According to legend, a black and a white pigeon were released to select sites to build the temples.
These two temples stand as the guardian sentinels keeping watch at the south entrance of the valley. The white pigeon landed on the foothills of the three towering mountains worshipped as Rigsum Gonpo and is where the lhakhang stands today.
The temple was named Karpo (white) as it was built on the site where the white pigeon landed.
LHAKHANG NAGPO
Located in Dumchoe village, the monastery was established in the 7th century by King Srongtsen Gampo in his mission to build 108 monasteries in one day. It is situated towards the north of Lhakhang Karpo. Legend has it that the black pigeon landed a little north of the white pigeon, indicating the preordained site of the present Lhakhang Nagpo. The temple was named Nagpo (black) as it was built on the site where the black pigeon landed. Built on a lake; an opening in the floor of the temple serves as the channel to the underground lake. Lhakhang Nagpo serves as the seat for the guardian deity Da Do Chen.
The principal relic of the monastery is the Choe-Lung-truel Sum.
TAGCHU GOEMBA
This is a new monastery built in the 20th century and is located in the Lungsekha village. It houses religious texts such as Kangyur and Tenjur. Kanjur is the translated words of the Buddha. Tenjur is the translated commentaries on the words of Gautama Buddha.
