Yoeja: Bhutan's Online Om Mani Padme Hum Prayer Room
By Best of Bhutan Research Desk · October 26, 2026 · 7 min read
Yoeja, the Bhutanese tradition of making offerings to support the monastic community, now has an online home. On 22 October 2026, His Majesty The King logged in on his phone and became the first person to enter the new Yoeja digital prayer room, reciting the six-syllable mantra Om Mani Padme Hum (written Om Mani Padme Hung in Bhutan), The Bhutanese reported. The international launch is scheduled for 1 November 2026, the day the 108 Jangchub Chortens are raised in Gelephu Mindfulness City.
The platform, at yoeja.com, lets anyone with a phone or computer recite the mantra on a digital rosary and adds each recitation to a worldwide running total. Kuensel summed up the change in one line: "In today's screen-age, the spiritual practice of Yoeja has moved online."
In short: Yoeja.com is an online prayer room (no fee has been reported for reciting) with an on-screen rosary, a personal lifetime count and a global collective count, plus an optional offerings section. It goes international on 1 November alongside Project 108. It does not change any travel rules, but it gives people outside Bhutan a way to take part in the day. You can also try the mani mala counter further down this page.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Detail | What has been reported |
|---|---|
| What it is | Online platform for Yoeja, Bhutan's tradition of offerings to the monastic community |
| Website | yoeja.com |
| First recitation | His Majesty The King, 22 October 2026 |
| International launch | 1 November 2026, the day of Project 108 in Gelephu |
| Mantra | Om Mani Padme Hum (Om Mani Padme Hung), six syllables |
| Main tool | Digital chyem (rosary) on screen; each touch adds one recitation |
| Counts kept | Personal lifetime total (for registered users) and a global collective total |
| Other features | Calendar of monk prayers at Tashichho Dzong and Punakha Dzong; separate offerings section |
| Who can use it | Anyone, inside or outside Bhutan |
| Cost to recite | No fee reported; offerings are optional |
| Operator | Not named in the reports so far |
What Is Yoeja?
Yoeja is the Bhutanese practice of offering alms to monks, teachers, temples, monasteries and the monk body. An offering can be cash, food, goods or a service. The Bhutanese describes it as "not charity, not donation, not even giving": the point is to make merit and dedicate it to the benefit of all sentient beings, not to fund an institution in the ordinary sense. Daily Bhutan adds that the offering creates tendrel, a connection between the person giving, the monks praying and the people the prayers are for, and that intention matters more than the amount.
The tradition is old. According to The Bhutanese, it reached Bhutan in the 7th century with the founding of Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro and Jambay Lhakhang in Bumthang, two of the country's oldest temples. In the 17th century, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel made it part of the state's religious structure when he set up the Zhung Dratshang, the Central Monk Body, which is still supported in large part by offerings today.
For visitors, Yoeja is something you already see on any temple visit: butter lamps lit on behalf of a family, banknotes left at an altar, food brought to monks during a ceremony, or sponsors paying for a day of prayers at a dzong.
How the Yoeja Online Prayer Room Works
Based on the reporting by The Bhutanese and Daily Bhutan, the platform has four parts.
1. The digital prayer room. You open the prayer room on a phone or computer and see a chyem, a string of prayer beads. Each touch turns the beads by one and counts one recitation of Om Mani Padme Hum, as you would with a physical rosary. Kuensel says the on-screen rosary helps keep the recitation consistent and the count accurate.
2. Personal and global counts. Registered users keep a lifetime total. Every recitation also feeds a collective total that combines prayers from around the world and updates continuously.
3. A prayer calendar. Daily Bhutan reports that the platform shows when monks at Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu and Punakha Dzong are holding prayers, so you can recite at the same time.
4. Offerings. A separate section takes financial offerings for ongoing religious activities. Daily Bhutan reports that these are to be kept intact to sustain monastic activities over the long term.
Two limits are worth stating plainly. The counter records taps; it does not judge pronunciation, attention or intention, as Daily Bhutan points out. And none of the three reports names the organisation that built or runs the platform, how offerings are processed, or what personal data registration collects. We will update this post if those details are published.
Punakha Dzong, the winter seat of Bhutan's Central Monk Body. Its prayer schedule is one of two shown on the Yoeja calendar.
Why Om Mani Padme Hum?
Om Mani Padme Hum is the mantra of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the bodhisattva of compassion. It is the most widely recited mantra in Himalayan Buddhism. You will see it carved on mani stones along trails, printed on prayer flags, and written thousands of times on the paper rolls inside prayer wheels. Elderly Bhutanese often recite it all day while counting on a rosary or walking around a chorten or temple.
Because each recitation is a single short unit, it is easy to count. That makes it a natural fit for a tap-to-count digital rosary, and for a national total that can be added to from anywhere.
Try It: Count Om Mani Padme Hum on a Mala
The counter below works like a Bhutanese chyem: 108 beads, a larger guru bead with a tassel, and two counter strings. Press and hold the mala while you recite. A bead passes your thumb only after one full Om Mani Padme Hum, at the pace you choose (1.5, 2 or 3 seconds), so a round of 108 takes about as long as it does with a real mala. At the guru bead the mala turns around rather than crossing it. A full round counts as one mala, and a silver counter bead moves up each time; a gold one moves up for every ten malas. You can set a goal, up to the traditional 100,000 recitations (a bum), and add an optional dedication. Your counts are saved only in your own browser. They are not sent to us and are not added to the Yoeja national total. For that, use the official prayer room at yoeja.com.
The Link to Project 108 on 1 November
The international launch is timed for 1 November 2026, when 108 Jangchub Chortens, each about 15 metres tall, are to be completed on the same day along the Mau Chhu river corridor in Gelephu Mindfulness City, according to Daily Bhutan. The Bhutanese describes the chortens as giving form to the nation's prayers and Yoeja as carrying them beyond Bhutan's borders.
Daily Bhutan also reports that:
- people who cannot travel to Gelephu can register on the Project 108 website for broadcast information;
- the completion of the chortens will be shown on an official livestream;
- remote participants can use the Yoeja prayer room during the event, and their recitations join the collective count.
For background on the chortens themselves, see our Project 108 explainer.
What It Means for Travellers
Yoeja online does not change entry rules, the Sustainable Development Fee or any permit. What it does is give practical context to a part of Bhutanese life that visitors see every day but rarely have explained.
If you are in Bhutan around 1 November. Expect very heavy travel towards Gelephu from late October into the first days of November. Drukair and Bhutan Airlines have added flights and seats for the event, and both airlines advise booking early, BBS reported on 25 October. Plan routes and flights with that in mind. If you are not going to Gelephu, you can follow the livestream and use the prayer room from your hotel.
If you are planning a trip later. Many visitors want to take part in religious life rather than only watch it. Ordinary ways to do that include:
- lighting butter lamps at a temple such as Kyichu Lhakhang; your guide can arrange this with the caretaker;
- leaving a small offering at an altar, usually a banknote placed with the right hand;
- sponsoring a short prayer or a meal for monks at a monastery, which a tour operator can arrange in advance;
- walking clockwise around a chorten or temple while reciting Om Mani Padme Hum, as Bhutanese do.
Visiting the dzongs on the Yoeja calendar. Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu and Punakha Dzong are both on most first-time itineraries. Dress modestly with long sleeves and long trousers or skirts, and wear a collared shirt if you can; Bhutanese visitors wear a kabney or rachu scarf. Do not photograph inside temple rooms. Access to some areas can be closed during monk ceremonies or official events. Our spiritual tours are built around these visits and around Bhutan's festival calendar, when monk-led prayers and masked dances are open to the public.
What We Do Not Know Yet
- Who developed and operates yoeja.com.
- How offerings are collected, in which currencies, and how their use will be reported. Daily Bhutan notes that clear reporting will matter as international contributions grow.
- Which languages the platform supports, and whether it will add other mantras.
- The total recitation count at launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Yoeja in Bhutan?
Yoeja is the Bhutanese tradition of making offerings, such as money, food, goods or services, to monks, teachers, temples and the Central Monk Body. It is done to make merit for the benefit of all beings. Since October 2026 it also has an online platform at yoeja.com.
What does Om Mani Padme Hum mean?
It is the six-syllable mantra of Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of compassion. It is recited, carved on stones and printed on prayer flags across the Himalaya. In Bhutan it is usually written Om Mani Padme Hung.
Is the Yoeja prayer room free?
No fee for reciting has been reported. Registering lets you keep a lifetime count. Financial offerings are made in a separate section and are optional.
Can foreigners use Yoeja?
Yes. According to Daily Bhutan, the platform is open to users inside and outside Bhutan, and the international launch on 1 November 2026 is aimed at people around the world.
How can I watch the 108 chortens event online?
Daily Bhutan reports that an official livestream will show the completion of the 108 Jangchub Chortens on 1 November 2026, and that people can register on the Project 108 website for broadcast information.
Sources
- The Bhutanese: "Bhutan's Living Tradition Goes Global with Yoeja," October 2026. Source for the 22 October first recitation, the 1 November international launch, the history of Yoeja, and the description of the prayer room and counters.
- Kuensel: "His Majesty launches an ancient tradition into a new era," 24 October 2026. Source for the move online and the digital rosary.
- BBS: "Drukair and Bhutan Airlines increase flights ahead of Gelephu stupa event," 25 October 2026. Source for the extra flights and the airlines' advice to book early.
- Daily Bhutan: "Bhutan Takes The Yoeja Tradition Online With A Global Prayer Platform," 26 October 2026. Source for the prayer calendar, offerings section, counter limits, livestream and Project 108 details.
Planning a trip around Bhutan's religious calendar, or want to arrange butter lamps or a monk prayer during your visit? Talk to us.