REST OF THIMPHU -BHUTAN JOURNEY

BLOG POST 6

We next went to the Buddha Dordenma, also known as the 'Vajra Throne' Buddha, situated amidst the ruins of Kuensel Phodrang, the palace of Sherab Wangchuck, the 13th Desi Druk.

We headed south of Thimphu city and we could see the Buddha serenely sitting and beckoning us to come to him, we drove through tall pine trees and the smells all around were heavenly

Buddha Dordenma was on a ridge overlooking the valley at an altitude of 2850 meters though there were steps, we found construction activity going on, so we took the easy way out

As we entered the premises we could see the gigantic Shakyamuni  Buddha  statue 169 ft tall made of bronze and gold plated and seated on a Lotus throne and was glistening in the sun

Apart from commemorating the centennial of the Bhutanese monarchy, the statue fulfils a prophecy. In the 20th century, the renowned yogi Sonam Zangpo prophesied that a large statue of either Padmasambhava , Buddha or of a phurba would be built in this region "to bestow blessings, peace and happiness on the whole world”

We walked around taking snaps, it was chilly and windy but there was enormous space around the statue and it was very peaceful and relaxing .I find that visit to such places or nature acts like a healing cool ointment on our hearts and minds bruised after a hectic life style in crowded and polluted cities

We went and looked down the stairs which were 288 in no, thanking our stars that we didn’t need to climb them, we saw a bird’s eye view of the town of Thimphu and there were stunning views of the snow capped mountains peeping occasionally and mischievously through the masking blue clouds .It is very rare to see such beautiful skies in smog filled surroundings and I felt like just sitting there silently in peace and contentment

The large statue was surrounded by 108 smaller statues of Dakinis that looked like Apsaras , we could find life like Airavat , the Garuda 3D representations and  many gold gilded Boddisattva figurines.

This was an active temple and like all monasteries in Bhutan, full sleeves were necessary inside the temple. Photography is not allowed .We dutifully left our shoes outside and entered the prayer hall ,only one floor was open to tourists and to our surprise we found thousands of small  gold Buddhas on shelves that lined the walls.

There was stunning artwork on the ceilings and walls, we also saw few altars, one had several massive clear quartz crystals. The temple pillars were carved beautifully and covered with gold colored tiles. Buddha was also shown with 4 heads in princely form.

We were told that the large statue in due course would house smaller Buddha statues, 100,000 ones 8-inch-tall and 25,000 12-inch-tall  gilded Buddhas respectively each of which, like the Buddha Dordenma itself, will be made of bronze and gilded in gold. Anyone could donate for the small statues

The main statue was built at a cost of US $47 million, by Aerosun Corporation of Nanjing, China .We found few monks telling prophesies to some tourists ,I was tempted but prevented by my husband who said  sternly that we were  already late and had other places to see ,so hearts fully satiated with peace and joy we left  the place

We then visited the Changangkha Lhakhang temple which is very popular among local Bhutanese as it was an important temple for the Children born in Thimphu, the protective deity of children resides in this temple.

 It was situated on a ridge above Thimphu, south east of Motithang. It has well laid out steps but was quite steep and we had to sit midway to gain our breath and pretend that we were admiring the views . 

The temple was established around 12th century, by Lama Phajo Drukgom Shigpo. Parents come with their new born children to seek blessings from the protector deity in the inner sanctum and only Bhutanese men are allowed to go in.

 we could see lot of prayer wheels with red and gold scripts around ,very huge Tibetan books are stored here

 Inside the temple premises I found a monk making tea for himself all alone ,patiently adding ginger ,aha ! Adrak chai ! I thought looking at the tea longingly 

The main deity was Tara/ Chenrizig/Avalokiteswara and we found devotees offering even meat and whiskey 
After coming out of the temple I found a group of old people sitting outside sunning themselves and promptly took a snap with them .I found older Bhutanese sitting and chatting comfortably in many places ,they looked well looked after and content

We then saw Motithang Takin Preserve a wildlife reserve area for Takin, the  National animal of Bhutan. Originally a mini-zoo, it was converted into a preserve.

The Takin is the national animal of Bhutan,it is also called cattle chamois or gnu goat, a goat-antelope found in the eastern Himalayas. The animals look like a hybrid of goat and cow.They are bulky and large and yet can move very fast on the high ridges.

 Beautiful natural plants & trees were there but there was quite a bit of walking to view the animals in the preserve, some of it quite steep and the animals were not always nearby which I found disappointing 

Archery is the national sport of Bhutan, played not only with traditional bows and arrows but also with modern archery techniques at Changlimithang  Sports and Archery Stadium in Thimphu.

 Archery is important for the cultural identity of the nation and as a result all tournaments are started with a ceremony. Women come to witness the sports in their colorful best attire and cheer their favorite teams. Men stand close to the target and taunt the players, if targets are missed.

We then went to The Folk Heritage Museum .It is dedicated to connect people to the Bhutanese rural past through exhibits, demonstrations, educational programs and documentation of rural life.

We first were taken to the souvenir shop which had a lot of  items displayed .

 Principal exhibit in the museum was a restored three storey traditional rammed mud and timber house, which dated back to the mid 19th century.

The whole design and form of house was that of an average household in the Wang area during that era.

From ground to top floor, household objects, typical domestic tools and equipment that would have been used by a family during that period were put on display. There were notes stuck to the walls or hung in every floor and every room describing the purpose of the floor and the room ,it was very surprising to see how well each item and space was fully utilised to its maximum capacity

We found Bhutanese women roasting red rice called Zaw on wooden stoves which was very similar to our puffed rice

we found some Bhutanese women weaving carpets and shawls with their kids hovering around them

When we came out we found a horse stable, a store to keep the crops and an interesting water mill .There was a water operated prayer wheel model and an oil extracting apparatus, both non-operational and not very well maintained.

Folk Heritage Museum had a restaurant with very interesting interior decoration, traditional tables and benches, wooden floor, ceiling to floor glass windows, the  garden outside had apple and walnut trees giving a natural surrounding good ambience for eating .

There was Malaysian buffet for lunch consisting of red rice, pork, beef renang, chicken curry, potatoes, spicy salad, bitter guard chilli. 

As it was the end of the day , we were very tired and readily retired to our hotel as we had to leave for Punakha the next day morning