THE LOVELY PARO -BHUTAN JOURNEY

BLOG POST 9
I left Dabchu resort with great reluctance, as I had a lovely and peaceful time there and proceeded for onward journey to Paro.

 Sometimes I strongly feel that for travel we should just choose only one place and  relax there and not trot around the globe trying to fill our plates full with new places but as middle class people it is natural to think that we should have our paisa vasool ,in other words see as many places as possible in one trip though sometimes it  does leave us rather exhausted at the end of the trip !
On the way to Paro  there was a check post and our vehicle stopped there I saw a beautiful sight of a mother and her baby sitting near a small shop along the road ,the baby looked very well looked after, was cute  and chubby .

The woman beside her was selling some dry snacks and fruits like mangos ,oranges and apples

Throughout my trip in Bhutan I rarely saw any beggars and could observe that the babies and the older Bhutanese were looking very well fed and contented , I felt that this signaled the country’s success ,true prosperity and justice for all

In the shop there were strings of some white things hanging and fluttering in the air, I had observed these in all places in Bhutan. On enquiring we were told that these were known as Chhurpi, chugo or durkha  which is a traditional Yak cheese consumed  in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling,  Kalimpong, Bhutan and Tibet.

The two varieties of chhurpi are a soft variety consumed usually as a side dish with rice and a hard variety chewed like a betel nut or chewing gum. It is originally known to be native to Nepal. Chhurpi is prepared in a local dairy or at home from buttermilk which is boiled and the solid mass that forms is separated from the liquid , wrapped and hung in a thin cloth to drain out the water.

 The product is rather like the Italian ricotta, or our Shrikand  which also is made from whey. It is soft, white, and neutral in taste. However, it is often left to ferment a bit to acquire a tangy taste.
Soft  chhurpi is consumed in a variety of ways, cooking with green vegetables as savory dishes, as a filling for momos , grinded with tomatoes and chillies for chutneys, and as a soup , it is an excellent source of protein .It is also used as dog food

Churpi Bites, Churpi Puffs and even Churpi bars have been developed by various companies in the United States.
Paro valley extends from the confluence of  Paro Chhu and  Wang Chhu rivers at Chuzom up to Mt. Jomolhari at the Tibetan border to the North.
It is one of the widest valleys in Bhutan and consists of fertile rice fields and a beautiful, crystalline river flows down the valley.

Enhancing the natural beauty of the place are the beautiful, traditional style houses that dot the valley and surrounding hills which come into focus specially in the evenings.
As the sun sets, along with the moon, myriad number of stars crop up in the sky and the earth in naughty competition decks itself in colorful jewelry of lights.

 Paro town is situated in a flat valley bottom and follows a grid-like pattern. The central plaza is adorned with a large prayer wheel and has a small amphi theatre where events are held throughout the year.
There are over 155 temples and monasteries in Paro, some dating as far back as the 14th century. The country’s first and only international airport is also located in the region.
 Its close proximity to the historical and religious sites in the region has naturally led to construction of an array of luxurious, high-end tourist resorts making Paro one of the main and favorite destination for visitors.
Our driver took us to the Airport view point from where we could see the Paro town spread out,the airport could be clearly seen and we were also fortunate to see a flight departing

We got mesmerized with the view of the vibrant green valley in front of us with the gentle soothing  sound of Paro river below, the stunningly blue sky above us, high mountains around , it indeed made a splendid picture frame sight to be preserved for ever in our hearts.

Our guide pointed out various key structures like the Dungtse Lhakhang a 15th-century temple near the new bridge, and the Ugyen Perli Palace where the members of royal family lodge when passing  and the Rinpung Dzong , a fortress-monastery overlooking the Paro valley .

 A monastery was first built on the site by Padma Sambhava at the beginning of tenth century, but it was not until 1644 that Ngawang Namgyal built a larger monastery on the old foundations, for centuries this imposing five-storey building served as an effective defence against numerous attempts of invasion by the Tibetans

Built with stones instead of clay, Rinpung means "heaps of jewels" but sadly Rinpung and all its treasures were destroyed by the fire in 1907 and only one thangka, known as Thongdel, was saved.
The Paro Dzong was rebuilt after the fire and housed within its walls is a collection of sacred masks and costumes some dating back to several centuries

Paro Dzong fully showcases Bhutanese architecture. The massive buttressed walls that tower over the town are visible throughout the valley, especially impressive when floodlit at night.

It was formerly the meeting hall for the National Assembly and now, like most dzongs, housed both the monastic body and district government offices, including the local courts.

The dzong was built on a steep hillside, and the front courtyard of the administrative section 6m higher than the courtyard of the monastic portion.

The richly carved wood, painted in gold, black and ochres, and the towering whitewashed walls projected effectively the sense of established power and wealth.
A stairway leads down to the monastic quarter, which houses about 200 monks. The kunrey, which functions as the monks' classroom, is on the southern side (to the left) and centred around an image of Buddha aged 16 rarely seen anywhere in the world.
To left of the exterior vestibule one can see mural of the 'mystic spiral', a uniquely Bhutanese variation on the mandala. Other murals here depict Mt Meru , the legendary centre of the universe, surrounded by seven mountain ranges and four continents, is it the same as our Meru Parvath I wondered ?

Outside the dzong is a stone-paved festival ground where masked dancers perform the main dances of the tsechu ,though we could not see it unfortunately
 A thondrol , a huge thangka painted or embroidered religious picture of Guru Rinpoche of more than 18 sq metres, is unfurled shortly after dawn on the final day of the tsechu .
Below the dzong, a traditional wooden covered bridge called Nyamai Zam spans the Paro Chhu. This is a reconstruction  of the original bridge which was washed away in a flood in 1969. It was impressive to see the hard struggle being put by the country to maintain its culture in spite of being frequently ravaged by fire and floods.
On the hill above the Dzong stood an ancient watchtower called Ta Dzong built in 1649 and since 1967 has been the National Museum of Bhutan.

 The unusual round building is in the shape of a conch shell, with 2.5m-thick walls. It also suffered damage in the 2011 earthquake but was reopened in 2019 as the nation's premier museum.
It displays hundreds of ancient Bhutanese artefacts and artwork including traditional costumes, armor, weaponry and handcrafted implements for daily life. The collection at the National Museum depicts an effective picture of the rich cultural traditions of the country.
Another site worth visiting in Paro is Drugyel Dzong or The Fortress of the Victorious Bhutanese. It was built in 1646 to commemorate victory over marauding Tibetan armies. The fortress was destroyed by fire in 1951 but the ruins remain an impressive and imposing sight.
We next visited the Kichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples built in 7th century, Ki means peace and Chu water summarizing the temple name.

This and Jampey lhakhang temple in Bumthang district are considered to be two of the 108 temples built by the Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gompo in one night to suppress a naga demon. Later in the 8th century the temple was also visited by Guru Padmasambhava who concealed spiritual treasures here
The temple is located just few minutes from Paro town and has a  motorable road. It houses a sacred statue of Jowo Buddha, huge statue of Guru Padmasambhava and life size statue of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Outside the temple we could see a stupa containing the ashes of Khyentse Rinpoche.
There were beautiful gardens along with prayer wheels, snugly nested against the background of the hills the temple looked divine and peaceful.The colors and the artefacts were beautifully preserved.

 Inside the temple there were orange trees which it is said to bear fruits all through the year, power of water at the temple was supposed to make such rare things happen. No one is allowed to pluck the fruits from the tree however

 The temple had a few rooms that we could enter. The fourth king's mother used to come here for religious prayers. There were plenty of prayer wheels and butter lamps in the temple premises

Paro for me was one of the best Bhutanese towns to explore on foot and was worth an hour or two's stroll along its streets.

The main street of Paro was built in 1985 and is lined with colorfully decorated and painted quaint wooden shop fronts and restaurants. But now they appeared under threat as the town grows and multi storey concrete buildings were much in evidence and we could see active signs of demolition of old buildings maybe a sign of growth but I felt at the expense of the charming old town.

 As usual due to my self imposed limited budget  I mainly did window shopping .Bhutan has plenty to offer for shopaholics. Interesting keepsakes like Kira and Gho the traditional dresses in vivid colors ,some of the shops also had the local Bhutanese weaving them

pretty woven bags, stoles, traditional jewellery, brass ware, Yak bone jewellery, hand woven bamboo items, carpets and the customary prayer wheels along with Tangkas masks and Bhutanese dolls and handmade paper were found everywhere, to our surprise we couldn’t find a typical Bhutanese tie to take as a souvenir

One can indulge in the local Bhutanese flavors one comes across , local produce like the organic Tsirang honey, khoo which is dried and jellied cow skin, and chugo the dried yak cheese.
I bought some cushion covers in vivid colors with rich embroidery after fierce bargaining and some key chains to take back home
Finally after hours of walking and window shopping we took a car vividly decorated and colorful as we had sent back our  car with our luggage to our  resort