I shall begin my narration on our stay in Punakha, the ancient capital, by introducing you to the 16th century Tibetan Lama Drukpa Kunley, nicknamed The Divine Madman, who taught widely in Bhutan, and is still revered today. His outrageous, obscene actions and sexual antics were meant to provoke the people to discard their preconceptions in life. He is said to have subdued numerous demoness with his "magic thunderbolt of wisdom". His first request upon entering a new village was to be brought to the women and wine. I shall not judge, as I am but merely an unenlightened being still caught up in the endless cycles of rebirth and pain...
Below is an excerpt from Lonely Planet:
"His sexual exploits are legendary, and the flying phalluses that you see painted on houses and hanging from rooftops are his. Kunley's numerous sexual conquests often included even the wives of his hosts and sponsors. On one occasion when he received a blessing thread to hang around his neck, he wound it around his penis instead, saying he hoped it would bring him luck with the ladies."
Do you spot the magic thunderbolts of wisdom painted on this house? They are believed to ward off evil and protect the household
Or if you prefer, you can hang them on the rooftop
Doorways are fine, too
Our first stop in Punakha was the Chimmi Lhakhang, a temple dedicated to the lama, built by the his cousin, on the site where the lama subdued a demoness with his... errr... tools of the trade.
Lush paddy fields surrounded by mountain ranges, and interrupted only by a small farming village. In the midst of it all, a little mound of a hill juts out from the landscape, where, at its peak, you can catch a glimpse of the white facade of the temple. The lama was said to have described it as the soft mound of a woman's bosom...
First time so close to rice paddy fields
Dehusking the paddy the old-fashioned way
The walk from the carpark to the temple, cutting through the paddy fields, should take about 20 minutes. But our trigger-happy tourist mode was switched on in full power, so we stopped to take pictures of every stalk of grass, lump of mud, patch of clouds, and body of water, moving or otherwise. I think it took us one hour to get up there. I also think I heard a loud sigh coming from the direction of our guide.
In the meantime, we passed several villagers going about their business,...
...as well as small businesses.
Chimmi Lhakang is literally translated as "No-Dog Temple". The demoness that the lama subdued had taken the form of a dog, and after subduing her with his "flaming thunderbolt of infinite wisdom" (yeah, I know this is repetitive, but it has a nice ring to it :) ), he said "no dog". Hence the name of this temple.
A bodhi tree grown from one of the seeds of the original bodhi tree where Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment in the 5th century.
Today the temple houses a small group of young monks. Bhutanese who do not attend regular schools can join a monastery where they will be given basic modern education on top of a rigorous religious education. Public schools are free, but some families may still not be able to afford school supplies or live near to one. Monasteries, on the other hand, provide full lodging and facilities at no costs. Think of it as a free boarding school. Naturally, there are also many who can afford public schools but chose a life of religious pursuits for their children.
A class in session. The posters on the wall are English charts listing fruits and vegetables.
Actually, this was the most surprising fact I learned about Bhutan upon arrival. The national school system uses English as a medium of instruction, and their national language Dzongkha (closely related to classical Tibetan), is only used and taught in one single subject. This meant that almost all Bhutanese you meet are able to speak and express themselves very well in good, standard English. I say "almost" because the standard of comprehension depends on the school one attend, but that is the fact in every country. Another reason: the older generation who went to school prior to mid-60's were taught in Hindi. So our guide's father reads Indian newspapers in Hindi everyday.
Besides reading, writing and mathematics, the monks are also trained in Buddhist rituals including musical instruments and chants
Entrance to the temple. Photography is forbidden inside any temples. The hall inside is small, filled with many fantastic Buddhist statues and images.
This temple also has a reputation as a fertility temple, perhaps due to its association with the Divine Madman, and consequently his sexual prowess. Many travel from afar within Bhutan and even overseas to seek help to conceive and receive blessings from a set of wooden and bone phalluses, and an iron bow & arrow, said to belong to the lama himself.
Since every member of our little family had unanimously voted "No" to a third sibling, YL and I were keen that the phalluses do not find their way to us. But in the novelty and confusion of it all, the next thing we knew, the phalluses were gently tapped on our heads by the caretaker monk. I could see YL twitching to throw himself and leap away from the object, but instead he cast me a fearful look. We avoided each other after that.
On the way back to the car, we took a detour and cut through the tiny settlement in the middle of the paddy fields, and heard a purposeful swishing noise and saw smoke coming out of one of the houses.
Peering inside, we saw that two women were cooking rice puffs using old-fashioned firewood
They were for sale, and they allowed YL to try some hot off the stove, literally. He said it was very good.
Next on the itinerary is the 17th-century Punakha Dzong, arguably the most beautiful fortress-temple of the country. Its construction was apparently foretold almost 1,000 years earlier. As Punakha was the capital up to the 1960's, the dzong was the center of the administrative government as well as the main monastic body. Today it is still the home of the Je Khenpo, Bhutan's head monk and his 1,000-strong entourage, during the cold winter months, when they would move from the Thimpu Dzong to here where the temperature is much milder.
Its setting is exactly at the tip of the confluence of two rivers, the Mo Chhu (Mother River) and Po Chhu (Father River) which flows from the Himalayan mountain glaciers, and will eventually join with the Brahmaputra river in India.
Entrance to the dzong. The man wearing the large sash in white interspersed with orange borders is the deputy mayor of Punakha. As the country is small, it is quite normal to bump into important and famous people. Once we saw a movie film crew shooting near our restaurant in Paro. The lead actress and director were apparently of some calibre but people mostly left them alone.
Just before entering the dzong. Posing next to one of two large prayer wheels that normally adorn the entrance of dzongs, and the murals of the Four Heavenly Kings (similar deities exist in Chinese culture)
Interior of Punakha Dzong
Marvelously intricate details in a riot of colours are found on every inch of the building
This hall is restricted to locals only. Wonder what treasures are inside...
The Tibetan mandala (wheel of life), depicting the schematics of life. Yama, the God of the Underworld, is holding the wheel which represents the cycles of rebirth. Just outside the wheel is a Buddha figure, indicating that it is possible to escape the wheel and stop the endless cycle of pain and suffering.
The mandala is made up of 4 concentric circles full of symbolism:
- Center of the wheel - pictures of three animals representing the three poisons: a rooster representing greed, a pig representing ignorance, and a snake representing hatred
- Next circle - pictures of white saints going on a path to liberation and black sinners on a path to hell
- Next circle - pictures of the six realms of existence: that of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, celestial beings and wrathful gods
- Outermost circle - pictures depicting the 12 interdependent causes and their effects, e.g. childbirth leading to a new cycle of rebirth, a man drinking representing desire, etc.
Posing on the courtyard in the monastic wing where the annual religious festival is held. Punakha's tsechu is the country's most important one, when families travel from across the country to attend. In the days before the internet, Facebook and the like, youngsters often attend these events to meet prospective partners. Even the previous Queen met the previous King at one of these events.
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