There’s only one main highway in Bhutan. It is two lanes, narrow, and very windy, running from west to east toconnect all of the country’s major cities, including Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha. Between the cities it goes through beautiful forested country at times and rice paddies at other times. Often the majestic Himalayas are in view as well. The road follows the Paro Chu River to Chudzom, then the Wang Chu upstream until the little town of Simtokha. Then we climbed up to Dochula pass to one of Bhutan’s most famous attractions: the Druk Wangyal Khang Zhang Chortans. This memorial is located roughly 10,200 feet above sea level.
The Memorial consists of 108 stupas on a hillside, which were built in 2004 to honor Bhutanese soldiers who died the previous year while fighting Assamese insurgents from India. The chortens were impressive; unfortunately the views of the surrounding Himalayan mountains were shrouded in clouds, but pictures we saw of them were amazing. There is a tea shop there where we stopped for a break.
Then we descended into the Punakha Valley (4,075 ft.).
Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and seat of government until 1955 when it was moved to Thimphu. The next site has great historical significance.
Punakha Dzong or the Palace of Great Happiness sits on an island created by the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers in Punakha. It is considered the most beautiful Dzong in the country. Guru Rinpoche is said to have predicted the building of this Dzong. It was the second to be built in Bhutan, constructed in 1637 and took only two years to build and without the use of nails. Most of the nation’s treasures are kept here. The dzong is joined to the mainland by an arched wooden bridge, the Bazaam Bridge. The Dzong is the winter residence of Bhutan’s Central Monastic Body and houses the many sacred relics. All of the kings have been crowned here. It is a huge, awe-inspiring structure with beautiful art. We spent a lot of time admiring the statues and paintings. The next temple we visited was the Fertility Temple.
Palace of Great Happiness or Punakha Dzong
Yes, we climbed all the stairs and many more.
Next we visited Chimi Lhankhang. This Stupa is known as the Temple of Divine Madman. The prayer hall is decorated with phallic symbols, bells, drums, and horns. The images on the walls depict scenes from the lives of Chenresig, Sakyamuni Buddha, and Zhabdrung and the battle between the Dochula demon and Lama Kunley.
Popular as a fertility temple, the monastery sees hundreds of visitors annually. They go to the prayer wheel and are then blessed with a 10-inch wooden phallus with a silver handle that is touched on their shoulders and head. Then the woman being blessed must carry the penis around the temple three times, praying for children. Many couples who have given birth after this return with their new-born to receive a name; they do this by picking up a slip of paper from the altar that has a name and then the baby is blessed by one of the monks.
Everywhere you go, you see penises. They are on houses, for sale in street markets, and in the souvenir shops. It took me to get used to this, but the Bhutanese philosophy helps one understand the practice.
Punakha is in a rice-growing region. Everywhere we went we were surrounded by rice paddies. The resort we stayed at was called the RKPO Green Resort. Bhutan is very eco-friendly. They reuse much of their waste and are a carbon-negative country. Maintaining the environment and saving endangered animals are important as we saw with the Takin Preserve. We will see more in the Wangang Valley next.
Here you have the rice fields in Punakha; a mandaka object from outside a temple; the winding road from Thimphu to Punahka; and the Gate and Stupa of Buddha Dordema.
To the right is the Khamsum Yuelley Namgyel Chorten overlooking the Punakha valley. It was built in 2004 by the Queen Mother and dedicated to world peace. The shrine was inspired by the Buddhist treasure teaching of Thragthung Dudjorm Lingpa. It is a sacred haven that wards off negative forces and promotes peace and stability. The structure also embodies the positive forces that transcend all the negative influences in the world.
