A Visual Treat: The Dragon Kingdom: Bhutan

Bhutan, is a Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas’ eastern edge.

It is known for its magnificent monasteries, dzongs and landscapes that range from subtropical plains to steep mountains and valleys. The Bhutanese name for Bhutan, Druk Yul, means “Land of the Thunder Dragon”. Bhutan is the happiest country in Asia and the citizens are very content due to the landlocked Himalayan kingdom’s beautiful mountain scenery, isolated culture and strong sense of national identity.

Most travellers spend an average of 4 days in Bhutan and that is enough to only see the tourist attractions, but if you want to explore deeper into the trip the below mentioned list is of the must-see sites, and best areas to make your trip a memorable one.

We i.e. my husband Uday B. Kugaji and me thought that we did go to the mesmerizing Bhutan to seek the divine blessing of Lord Buddha.

Incredible things to do in The Dragon Kingdom “Bhutan”.

 

• Thimpu:

From the Paro Airport we travelled to Thimphu which is the Capital of Bhutan.

In downtown Thimphu, the streets were a little more hectic than in the serene Paro. The air was fresh, pollution free and the atmosphere was pleasant and hospitable.

At the Local Market in Thimphu we saw the antiques being sold, they were all so impressive ranging from various bronze idols of Lord Buddha to various Gods, beautiful masks and jewellry. We purchased a lot of them for our home, as we would carry them along with the cherished memories of this country.

We stopped to see the world’s largest Lord Buddha statue that is the Great Buddha Dordenma. The statue houses over one hundred thousand smaller Buddha statues, each of which, like the Great Buddha Dordenma itself, are made of bronze and gilded in gold.

At 51.5 meters high, the towering bronze-and-gold Buddha Dordenma statue sits on a southern hill above Thimphu.

The statue of Lord Buddha looks spellbinding in the morning light, or at night when it is illuminated.

From the giant bronze and gold structure, we had a great view of the King’s offices.

Dechen Phrodrang was the original dzong of the city.

Dzong’s were once fortresses in the Himalayan mountains of Tibet and Bhutan. They were then turned into administrative buildings ,houses and  the administrative centers of Bhutan. Dechen Phrodrang Monastery was at one point, the administrative center of the country, but today it is a monastic school.

During our tour, we learned that many of the poor attend monasteries for studies as their food, education, and clothing costs are covered. Many boys stay in the system and become teachers in future.

The boys are friendly and I enjoyed clicking photographs with them.

We saw the dried yak cheese hung on string for sale on road to Dochu La pass.

A Bhutanese man was selling the dried yak cheese. We tried both cheese and I must say I simply loved it. You must try this cheese.

This hard variety of cheese made from Yak’s milk is called Chhurpi. It can be brown or white in colour. The white ones are sweet in taste and the brown ones are mostly bland. My personal favourite is the brown variety of cheese, It has a smoky flavour due to the method of its preparation.

The Bhutanese love smoked sausages and smoked fatty pork too.

Gateway to heaven The Dochula Pass at Bhutan–High on the top of a mountain pass on the road from Thimphu to Punakha, overlooking the abode of snow The Himalayas”, is a concentration of 108 chortens (stupas) built in memory of Bhutanese soldiers killed in the war of the year 2003 against revolutionaries from India. The Queen Mother, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, commissioned the monument after King Jigme Singye Wangchuck was victorious in the struggle to extricate the rebels who were using Bhutan as a base to raid India.

• Punakha

Punakha Dzong is also known as Pungtang Dewa Chhenbi Phodrang.

The most beautiful and awe-inspiring dzong in the country, especially in spring when the lilac-colored jacaranda trees bring a lush sensuality to the dzong. The woodworks seen here are of the highest standards.

Situated at the confluence of the Mo (Mother) and Pho (Father) rivers, the large fortress with its temples, courtyards, hall and towers overlooks the town and provides admirable views stands as the symbol for a unified Bhutan. All of Bhutan’s kings have been crowned here. The dzong is still the winter residence of the “Dratshang” (The official monk body).

At the entrance of Punakha Dzong I saw a Layap nomadic tribal woman in distinctive conical hat at Punakha Dzong (temple) in Bhutan.
The villages of Laya and Lunana in the Bhutanese Himalayas are some of the highest and most remote human settlements on earth. The people who live there, the Layaps and the Lunaps, are semi-nomadic yak herders who spend time between the villages and the high altitude yak herding camps. The villages and yak camps cling to the sides of massive river valleys and reach altitudes of 6,000m where resources are few for survival. In Lunana the people have no contact with the outside world for seven months of the year, isolated by a combination of harsh winter weather and traitorous High Mountain passes.

Inside the Punakha Dzong….

The Prayer Wheel

Monk at the Punakha Dzong.

The Fertility Temple

Chimi Lhakhang, known to the English speaking world as The Fertility Temple, is a Buddhist monastery, in the Punakha District of Bhutan, idyllically placed on hill.

Walking to the fertility temple is the highlight of this trip. The village is lined with shops selling symbols covered with paintings and art of giant penises.

The tiny village of Sopsokha  in the Punahka region of Bhutan is not for the easily shocked. Nearly every building is decorated with a giant phallus.

Once you leave the village, the walk through the valley towards the temple is about 15 minutes. The temple itself was surprising because once we arrived there, we saw no phallic symbols of the sort.

The Temple of The Divine Madman is a pilgrimage site for childless couples who are blessed in the temple in the hope of becoming fertile.

The temple was built in 1499 by the Divine Madman. The monastery dedicated to Drukpa Kunley, Bhutan’s favourite saint and a man who referred to his penis as the ‘divine thunderbolt’, they are everywhere.

• Paro

On the way to the Tiger’s nest….. We saw small reliquaries or “Tsa-Tsas” containing the ashes of the dead on the ledges in the Purlieu of Tigers’s Nest.

You will find thousands and thousands of prayer flags on the way to the Tiger’s Nest.

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Paro Taktsang Monastery (also known as Tiger’s Nest) clings to cliffs above the forested Paro Valley. It is a small monastery hung far up on a cliff overlooking an enormous valley and stands above a beautiful and dense forest of blue pine and rhododendrons. The monastery is located 10 km. (6.2 mi) to the north of Paro and hangs on a precarious cliff at 3,120 metres (10,240 ft.), about 900 metres (3,000 ft.) above the Paro Valley, on the right side of the Paro Chu (‘chu’ Bhutanese means “river or water” .Tiger’s Nest Monastery was blessed and sanctified as one of Bhutan’s most sacred religious sites.  It is also one of thirteen small monasteries or “tiger’s lairs” where the Guru Rinpoche or “Precious Master” also known as the “Second Buddha” of Bhutan is said to have meditated. We started the trek, were so full of energy to see it and once we reached there I was awe-struck by its beauty. For those who live at sea level they can face difficulties to breathe comfortably while exercising vigorously at 10,000 feet, so a relaxed pace with plenty of rest and small breaks , a little sitting and then walking, will definitely help making this walk and trek a memorable one.