Right before we approached the town of punakha, we were taken to chime lhakhang, the monastery drukpa kunley founded in 1499 which is dedicated to fertility. The temple of drukpa kunley divine madman, punakha dzong. The bhutanese believe that they prevent the house and its inhabitants from being. It was built in honour of drukpa kunley, the divine madman who preaches buddhism through humour and sexual tones. Lama drukpa kunley, the divine madman, built the temple in 1499. And the presence of 300 years plus canvas paintings and statues of many je khenpos, all. Drukpa kunley was a nyomba, a crazy yogi who taught through outrageous behavior and. One of the other australian volunteers lives in a village. Butan devi actually is the form of goddess durga who killed the great demon mahishasura because of which she is also. Drukgyal dzong monastery in bhutan thousand wonders.
Bhutan religion authentic bhutan tours buddhism in bhutan. To be fair, lama drukpa kunley 14551529 comes from a long line of historic holy men who have succumbed to their bacchic nature, and no religion is exempt. Ashi kesang, the queen mother of bhutan, built the second temple in original pattern. Drukpa kunley 14551529, also known as kunga legpai zangpo, drukpa kunleg and kunga legpa, the madman of the dragon lineage tibetan. Contact project mad mad destination asia mad bhutan.
Bhutan spiritual tour for 9 days 8 nights best bhutan. Evening, hike to chimi lhakhang to visit the temple of the bhutans foremost saint, lama drukpa kunley, also known as the divine madman. But in bhutan he became more than an icon, he still is the patron saint of a country. Bhutan haa valley durkgyel trek easy haa valley trek in bhutan is a short trek in a region that was just recently opened for travellers. With its slight sweet and peaty taste, it has a pleasant and unique flavor whether served neat, on the rocks, or in one of its signature mixed drinks recipes such as k5 dream, which is a. The divine madman and the phallus symbol our next stop was the chime lhakang, a famous monastery where the divine madman, lam drukpa kuenley practiced his crazy wisdom during the 15th century. The land of the thunder dragon, one of the most mysterious and unknown of all himalayan kingdoms, hidden in isolation behind the high peaks of the himalayas. Remarks shiva mandir 1996 chukha jaganath kafley 17662733 bichsaurani saraswatimandir 2008 do jagathbdr. We visited the main altar bearing the statue of the divine madman, where we were surprised when approached by a monk who gently patted our head with a footlong wooden phallus.
Report errors or wrong information regular contributors may earn money from their contributions. The buildings of temples and monasteries are examples of exquisite architectural skills and fine craftsmanship. Meditation and offer butter lamp in kyichu lhakhang. Please use the form below to send us your booking, and a member of our team will be in touch with you within 24 hours or sooner. It is said that the hilltop where the monastery is located looks. From temple courtyard, there is fascinating view of thimphu valley. K5 himalayan whisky from the kingdom of bhutan a special. Chimi lhakhang is also known as the divine madmans temple.
Lama drukpa kunley is one of the strangest religious and historical characters in the exotic land of bhutan. Drukpa kunley was a nyomba, a crazy yogi who taught through outrageous behavior and ribald humor, through symbolic action, songs and poetry. K5 himalayan spirit whisky, bottled and labeled by hand in the kingdom of bhutan, is a special blend of 8 and 12year old vatted malts mixed with the finest grain whiskies and natural spring water of bhutan. The temple of lama drukpa kunley divine madman, one of bhutans favourite saints, at punakha dzong. Next, explore the sacred chimi lhakhang monastery, built by lama drukpa kunley, the divine madman. The temple of the divine madman and his ubiquitous. This third edition of the divine madman is long overdue. Unprecedented access to the royal kingdom of bhutan. The crazy adepts or divine madman are still to be found in the foothills of the himalayas, and elsewhere, there mission is to bring realisation to those who ask to enlightenment in this life time and that requires a radical and technical biological approach kunley used sex as a catalyst for change, for union, for self discovery, for hormonal enlivenment, creating the biological journey. Drukpa kunley divine madman of bhutan bhutans divine. Basnet 17601817 lower saurani shiva mandir 1995 do thakur prasad sharma 17237335 bichtala. A temple dedicated to an outrageous lama, drukpa kunley chimi lhakhang is located on a small hillock hardly 15 kms away from punakha.
Temples and monasteries in bhutan bumthang district. This is the secret biography of one of tibets foremost saints, the buddha drukpa kunley 14551570. Drukpa kunley 14551529, also known as kunga legpai zangpo, drukpa kunleg tibetan. The twostorey temple contains tshepamey amitayus on. Licensed by royal government of bhutan and managed by seasoned tourism professionals, bhutan dmc endeavours to provide memorable and authentic travel experiences by genuinely adopting sustainable, responsible and quality tourism practices. He also mentioned that the temple was made in memory of the divine madman. With trust, reliability and creativity as its maxim and mission, bhutan dmc is committed to offer its. A portrait of happiness in the last himalayan kingdom. The land of the thunder dragon the culture of bhutan. This temple is called the temple of fertility as it is believed that childless couples who come here to pray for a child is usually blessed with a child. The nation of bhutan is only about 400 years old and was founded on the principles of buddhism. If your contribution is significant, you may also register for an account to make the changes yourself to this page. To his majesty, the druk gyalpo of the royal kingdom of bhutan, the bhutanese people and. I spent several hours walking through the dzong in paro.
Bhutan temples and monasteries temple and monastery. Bhutanese people can be generally categorized into three main ethnic groups. But of all of its unique characteristics, none seems more peculiar to us than the history and legends of the great religious teacher and holyman, lama drukpa kunley, known throughout bhutan as the divine madman. The divine madman promienie this third edition of the divine madman is long overdue. Yeshi gonpo or mahakahala is the main protective deity of bhutan and is often appeared in the form of raven. Originally known as phurling goemba, it was built in the 14th century by terton dorji lingpa, one of the five great tertons treasure discoverer.
This divine madman was, as singh recounts in his book, the freethinkers prayer book. As an effective and profound antidote to the overenthusiastic devotion that western vajrayana buddhists tend to bestow upon their lamas, the drukpa kunley legends are, perhaps, more relevant now than in the period immediately after the original publishing date of this english translation. Chimi lhakhang is known as a fertility temple for blessing couples with a. Chimi lhakhang, also known as chime lhakhang or monastery or temple, is a buddhist monastery in punakha district, bhutan. Society and religion in bhutan a way to bhutan tours. On a high hill overlooking thimpu, an immense buddhea, called puensal phodrang, glows in the sunlight this multistoried, 169 foot bronze statue covered in gold is the fullfillment of an ancient prophecy from the year 800 and was commisioned for the kings fathers 60th birthday. Wayfaring in bhutan the legend of the divine madman. Upon arrival in punakha visit punakha dzong, built in 1637 as both the religious and the administrative center of the country. Find the perfect temple of the divine madman stock photo. Bhutan is a small country nestled in the himalayan mountains between china and india, and just west of nepal. One of the great religious teachers and holy men, drukpa kunley, is known all over bhutan as the divine madman.
Eccentric and only one of his kinds, drukpa kunley was born in tibet in 1455. If faith in your religion brings happiness, then bhutan has reached nirvana. The dungtse lhakhang in the paro valley, built in 1433, looks like a chorten. Chimi lhakhang or monastery or temple, is a buddhist monastery in punakha district, bhutan located near lobesa, it stands on a round hillock. Besides the natural beauty, the valley is bountifully blessed with numerous ancient. Chimi lhakhang, punakha bhutan attractions fertility temple. Mindbogglers tiger nest temple, bhutan puzzle hinkler books on. The temple is built is perfect vastu principal and it is believed that worshipping the goddess helps one to get victory over serious troubles, problems and fear. K5 himalayan whisky, bottled and labeled by hand in the kingdom of bhutan, is a special blend of 8 and 12year old vatted malts mixed with the finest grain whiskies and natural spring water of bhutan. As an effective and profound antidote to the overenthusiastic devotion that western vajrayana buddhists tend to bestow upon their lamas, the drukpa kunley legends are, perhaps, more relevant now than in the period immediately after the original publishing date of. For centuries forbidden to foreigners, this timeless buddhist country has succeeded in preserving its enchanting traditions and ancestral way of life. The first temple was built by tibetan king, songtsen gampo in the 7th century and in 1968, h. It is believed that childless women who visit the temple will conceive after receiving mewang blessing.
The best of bhutan explore thimphu and tango goenpa monastery. Situated at butan devi road10 in hetauda, the temple of butan devi is not only famous in hetauda but all over nepal. Bhutan is the land where time has appeared to stand still a buddhist kingdom where gross national happiness is more important than gross national product. And some words to live by, the most unconventional holy man the world has ever known. The divine madman is the secret biography of one of tibets bestloved saints, the buddha drukpa kunley. Appearing in the spiritual lineage established by tilopa, is an incarnation of the great mahasiddha, saraha. Located near lobesa, it stands on a round hillock and was built in 1499 by the 14th drukpa hierarch, ngawang choegyel, after the site was blessed by the divine madman the maverick saint drukpa kunley 14551529 who built a chorten on the site.
Thangtong gyelpo, the famous chainbridge builder, built it around a central axis and in the spirit of the mandala. The other minority groups are the bumthaps and the khengpas of central bhutan, the kurtoeps in lhuentse, the brokpas and the bramis of merak and sakteng in eastern bhutan, the doyas of samtse and the monpas of rukha villages in wangdue phodrang. Before the arrival of buddhism to bhutan, various forms of animistic religion such as bonism were followed by people in bhutan. Each trip to bhutan purchased on the travel platform will contribute to tarayana foundations efforts to empower rural communities tourism. The temple was established in 12th century on a site chosen by lama phajo drugom shigpo, who came from tibet. This trek in western bhutan offers panoramic views on mount chomolhari, some other himalayan peaks and to the paro valley and the haa valley. The temple is small and simple by bhutanese standard. The central statue here is chenrezig in a manifestation with 11 heads. Temples and monasteries in bhutan travel to bhutan. The view of the dzong from the national museum above and the view up from the paro chhu river are stunning. Located in buli village under chumey gewog in bumthang, 15 minutes walk from bumthangtrongsa highway. Hidden temple of thimphu hongtsho trashigang goemba. Discover the temple of the divine madman at chimi lhakhang and hike to the khamsum yuelley namgyal chorten in. This behaviour reminds us of an anecdote from the life of the divine madman.
This is the temple of one of the bhutans foremost saints, lama drukpa kunley, also known as the divine madman. Feeling settled into life in thimphu, it was time to set off on our first weekend out of the city. We learned that it was a gesture of blessing given to people who visit the temple. The divine madman is a symbol of fertility and the phalluses are drawn on the outside walls of houses to promote fertility. Drukpa kinley, the divine madman, is a significant religious figure in bhutan and well known for practicing his religion through sex and alcohol there are phalluss painted all over bhutan inspired by him. Its mountainous backdrops, heavenly views, beautiful seasonal flowers and soothing chirruping sounds of various birds make it one of the best tourist attractions of thimphu.
The ultimate shangrila, bhutan is a spectacular tapestry of sweeping mountain ranges. The dzong has many murals and graphics throughout the various courtyards. Mybhutan, a social enterprise that aims to create a better bhutan through initiatives that target bhutans most pressing issues, was launched april 25, according to a press release from the project. By booking a trip with sister marathons, you are directly contributing to the bettering of the lives of marginalized bhutanese. So when bhutan first opened its door to tourists, perhaps the most perplexing symbol of worship must have been the phalluses painted on house. According to the kiosk outside the monastery, this renowned bhutanese monk was a social critic who practiced a nonconventional style of buddhism. After lunch visit chimi lhakhang, approximately a 20minute walk from the road at sopsokha.
1593 1452 134 1230 699 72 1529 1098 1187 1046 208 164 618 636 1607 214 1198 1442 1484 1592 471 1437 207 278 515 1387 508 285 48 1018 423 1369 675