Thimpu, Bhutan

Prayer Flags

Sam-Nidup-Collette

Had another massive breakfast; omelet, pancakes, porridge, corn flakes, toast, fruit, tea, potatoes, and today, a sandwich. I can’t believe that these people, as kind and caring as they are, put so much food on the table for just me and the little woman.
Stuffed ourselves and headed out to meet our guides to start another day of seeing in this beautiful country. Today we head to the mountains and the Dochula Pass. Located at 3100 meters, 10, 170’ (felt like home!) this pass has considerable historical significance to the Bhutanese people.
In 1990 the Indian government launched a military operation to remove the Assam people from their borders. This action drove these people to settle in Bhutan in refugee camps located in the mountain region near Thimphu. The refugee rebels refused to vacate their camps after numerous attempts by the Bhutan government to peacefully remove them from their lands. That all ended in 2003 when the Bhutanese government launched Operation “All Clear”.
After numerous attempts to remove the Assam invaders, the Bhutan government was left with no choice but to use military force to drive the insurgents from their land. The military successfully removed the insurgents, some captured, some forced to retreat out of the country, but not without suffering losses. According to our guide, 11 Bhutanese soldiers were killed in the battles to displace the insurgents.
As a result of this conflict, 108 memorial ‘chortens” were erected to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Quite a bit more than just a mountain pass.

Chortens

Temple

Onward. Next stop on our tour is Chimi Lhakhang, a temple honoring the Divine Madman. I like this guy! As far as Buddhas go, this guy is close to my kind of God. He was known to be a bit “rowdy” with killing animals, drinking, and yes, visiting with women. OK, as we have been told it was not his outward self that was the measure of the man, it was his internal soul and deep belief in Buddha, and his ability to spread the word of religion.
We arrived at an amazing time, just when the local Buddhist monks were finishing a week long chant. For 7 days a set of 14 or so monks had been chanting to Buddha in this small temple. Let’s stop here for a minute to catch up on temples. The temple we are in is about 50’ by 50’ square and was built in 1499AD. Legend has it the Dukpa Kunley in preparing and blessing this site, subdued the demon of Dochu La with his “magic thunderbolt of wisdom” and trapped it in a rock in the chorten. He was known as the “Divine Madman” for his unorthodox teaching methods as mentioned earlier. He also advocated the use of phallus symbols, such as paintings on walls and as flying carved wooden phallus’s on house tops at four corners of the eaves. Indeed, pretty much anywhere you look in this village, there are “penis” everywhere. Kinda like an open air locker room from junior high school.

Temple of Divine Madman

How to decorate your home’s exterior

Painting depicting respect for elders…Tell you later

Fortress

Just “Monk”in around

When traveling, know your place…

Dragging Collette away, we made our way for a quick lunch then to the next site, Punakha Dzong, the great fortress. One of Bhutan’s oldest, largest and most striking fortified monasteries, the Punakha Dzong holds an important relic over which many wars were fought with the Tibetans. The remains of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel and the small self-created figure of Avalokitesvara from the remains of Tsangpa Gyaray (the founder of Drukpa-Kagyud Buddhist School) are housed in the Dzong. The stupa located in the fortress courtyard is the only stupa in Bhutan that faces north. Sam managed to find the only chicken in the fortress. I think the pigeons talked it into getting on the roof, now it’s stuck there!

Last site for today, the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan! Yeah!!! If you have a bit of fear of heights or a little swinging and wind, this isn’t for you. The bridge is totally safe but for those with a bit of anxiety with heights, you may want to just take a picture then head back to the car. A quick photo op in the middle, walk to the other side, call it a day!