Beautiful Bhutan

BEAUTIFUL  BHUTAN

This is the country of Happiness. The country that coined the phrase "Gross National Happiness" (GNH). When the rest of the world was busy worrying about their GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Bhutan remained calm and content with GNH. Spirituality, beauty and reverence can be felt in the atmosphere here. People here lead a life following the principles of Buddhism that has been nurtured over centuries.

        There are two routes generally taken by Indians , for their travel to Bhutan. One route begins at Bagdogra, the north-eastern Airport of India closest to the Bhutan-India border. From here the route is by road into the border town of Phuentsholing and then into the interiors of Bhutan. Another way is to fly into Paro, the city that has the only airport in  Bhutan. We, a small group of friends, chose the "flight path" into Bhutan thinking that we would be saving on travel time. Little did we know that the flight from Mumbai to Kolkata and then to Paro would take a total of approximately 12 hours. Most of this time was spent at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport (Kolkata). We knew that after reaching Kolkata at the unearthly hour of 3 am , we would be spending around 5 hours at a desolate Airport. Unfortunately for us Bhutan Airlines  was delayed and the plane arrived in Kolkata three hours later than the scheduled time. The total wait at Kolkata airport turned out to be 8 hours. So we spent a great deal of our time lolling about at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport. We were quite exhausted when we boarded the plane around 11:30 am. The flight time to Paro from Kolkata was about one and half hour. In spite of our exhaustion we were quite upbeat. We had left behind the April heat in India and was about to step  into the much cooler climate of Bhutan. At the airport just after disembarking  we were welcomed by the Royal family ,on a large painting placed along the Airport wall.  Everybody knows that Bhutan is a small Himalayan Kingdom.

The Royal Family of Bhutan.

Monks of the Monasteries.

The passage through the "Immigration" was smooth. We had to pay an amount of Indian Rupees 6000/-  to the immigration department ,for a 5 day stay. Indians do not require a visa. One's passport or a voter ID(Identity ) card is enough to let you into  Bhutan. The airport at Paro  was a picture of serenity, unlike many other airports around the world. All the formalities were completed quickly and methodically. The airport is small and situated in a valley. It handles only two flights per day. The building architecture was a glimpse of what we were going to see later.  Buildings with copious colourful designs and pagoda styled roof tops. We were out of the airport with our luggage, and soon we were driving towards Thimpu the capital of Bhutan

      All tourists have to be accompanied by a guide here. So the four of us along with the guide and driver could fit , comfortably into a van.  We drove along the river Paro Chu for a while before taking the mountain road. Actually the word "Chu" means river therefore I could say "Paro River" instead of " Paro Chu" We were heading towards Thimphu , but on the way we stopped over at a festival. The Paro Tshechu festival. We were there on the penultimate day of the festival. This festival takes place at the Rinpung Dzong. It is a fortress premises, that is used for the festival. A lovely place and now it was full of colour. The famous masked dances were going on, people were sitting along the hill slopes, everybody was dressed in their best fine clothes and all were having a great time. We also joined in the festivities, capturing all the colours in photographs. Then we walked around the place with our already exhausted feet. Walking around was not on flat  level paths but the paths were "zig-zag" and "up-down". We were there for about two hours before we trudged back to the van . We needed to travel for another hour before reaching Thimphu.

Entrance to
Paro Teshechu Festival.

Glimpse of Rinpung Dzong
through the elaborately
decorated entrance.

 

Colourful Masked Dancers.

The crowd at the festival.

The Dzong area being utilized for
the telling of folk tales.

We drove from one valley to another before we arrived at Thimphu city limits and then in a short while we were at the hotel. The surroundings were neat and clean and the hotel area wall was covered with lovely purple flowers (which I found later on , growing easily and wild in many places). The tiredness of the long journey till here was absolutely evident on our faces. The sight of the purple flowers was refreshing and a cup of hot tea offered at the hotel lobby was rejuvinating. After "check-in" completed  , warm water bath completed, dinner  enjoyed,  and snuggling under thick blankets finished , did I fully relax. I am sure I must have fallen asleep within a second of touching the pillow. I had a sound sleep and was  absolutely fresh and energied to take on Thimphu the next day. 

Purple flowers on the fence.

        It was a bright sunny day but a bit chilly. A jersey, woolen head cap and socks was good enough to keep me warm and cosy. This day was dedicated to touring Thimphu and its surroundings. Our first place of visit was the large Buddha Statue that dominates the skyline. The Great Buddha Dordenma is a gigantic "golden" statue of Buddha. One can drive up to the premises gate, pay an entrance fee and enter the gate. The gate is golden coloured, the imposing statue of Buddha is golden (brass) hued and He sits on a massive pedestal. So "Buddha" from this vantage point (a hill top and a massive pedestal) looks on the surrounding hills and Thimpu below in the valley. The vast space surrounding the statue is paved in stone  and many smaller statues of other dieties are placed along the perimeter. These are also gold coloured and were gleamng in the sun on this perfectly bright and sunny day. This place definitely was built in the recent past.The birds eye view of Thimpu that we saw  from here was very nice. We lit candles  at the base of this imposing structure. Then our guide escorted us into the pedestal. It is a large meditation hall, asthetically done up with sculptures and paintings of dieties, monks and many celestial beings that are part of the Buddha story. Our guide got busy, explaining the background history of Bhutanese Buddhism, while I sat on the clean floor , resting  , contemplating and absorbing the stunning beauty of this enormous hall. We were not allowed to photograph here. I learnt that Bhutanese Buddhism is slightly different from Tibetan Buddhism. Though Guru Padmasambhava introduced Buddhism all along the Himalayan range (from West to East) each region has introduced their own beliefs and practices into Buddhism. The Bhutanese do not consider the Dalai Lama as their top living Guru. The Dalai Lama is highly respected in Bhutan  but Bhutan has its own distinct religious leadership. The Je Khenpo (chief abbot) is the head of the country's monastic body. Bhutan practices Vajrayana Buddhism and the Je Khempo is the highest riligious authority in the country.

View of Buddha
from the gate.

The Entrance to The Great Bhuddha Dordenma.

           

The statue is made of Bronz.

177 feet in height.
Begining of construction - 2006.
End of construction - 2015.

The pedestal that houses the
large meditation hall.

View of the premises at the base of the 
Buddha Pedestal.

      We went to see the Taikin  in an exclusively built park. It was not too far from the Great Buddha Dordenma. Here too we paid an entry fee and then moved around the park spread along the hill slopes.There were a few Taikins roaming around within enlosed areas. It looked like a cross between a bull and a goat and very very hairy to. It looked somewhat like a yak.The park serves as a santuary for Taikins . Taikin is Bhutan's national animal found in the forested valleys and meadows of the Himalayas. Locally it is known as Drong Gimtse. This animal is popular in myth and folklore of Bhutan. It is believed to have been created miraculously by Lama Drukpa Kuenlay by affixing the head of a goat to the body of a cow, giving it this unique appearance.  Today the park also serves as the  a rehabilitation centre for other injured , abandoned ,  and rescued animals. There is a very cute little tea / coffee shop  tucked away in one corner of the park . We just refreshed ourselves in this very pleasant atmosphere and surroundings with cake , coffee and a few other tit bits. After this we were back in the van driving down towards the valley / Thimphu.  We stopped at a few scenic points to view the beautiful valley and the surrounding hills. Then we came down to the valley region of Thimphu ,had a very good lunch and moved on to the National Memorial Chorten,  in a very nice part of the city. I noticed that the Great Buddha Dordenma was visible from all parts of the valley. Now that we knew the direction in which to turn our gaze, we could spot the bronze Buddha statue (gilded) from almost any where in Thimphu.  It was as if  Buddha was blessing Thimphu 24X7. 

       The National Memorial Chorten was an imposing structure built with a stupa like architecture. It looked like any other stupa found along the Himalayan belt but in a very large size and with a lot of embellishments. It is a symbol of peace  prosperity and spiritual aspirations of the Bhutanese people. One can take photographs from outside but no one is allowed to photgraph the building from inside. We were allowed to go inside this two story structure. There were many sculptures, wall relief work , murals and paintings. Everything about mythology, spirituality and the story of life itself, is described through these sculptures and murals. This place is sacred space and revered by all. The entrance ticket had all the rules  (do's and dont's) printed. 1. Respect the rules and sancity of  the monument. / 2. Visitors should use designated entry points. / 3. Since the monument is a sacred space it is requested to dress in an apropriate manner. / 4. Littering is punihable by law. / 5. Eating and drinking is  strictly prohibitted inside the monument. / 6. Do not touch the murals and paintings on the walls. / 7. Visitors are not allowed to wear hats or caps inside the monument./ 8.Filming and photography is not permitted inside the monument.

      I guess the citizens follow these rules in their daily life too. The general atmosphere here is clean and pure mountain air, low pollution, orderly traffic and law abiding and well behaved citizens. There are no traffic lights in Bhutan . Yet the traffic runs smoothly, under the guidance of white gloved traffic officers.  Life does not move in the fast lane here.  Bhutan does want to modernize but does not want to leave behind the traditional values. 

The National Memorial Chorten
Thimphu.

The National Memorial Chorten was constructed in 1974 , to honour the third King of  Bhutan, known as the Father of Modern Bhutan.

At the National Memorial Chorten premises.
Honouring  His Majesty , Jigme Dori Wangchuck.

The day's Thimphu city tour was coming to an end. Our penultimate stop was at the Living Museum of Bhutan. Our last stop was at the Market place. 

         The Living Museum gave us a glimpse of Bhutanese culture, pastimes and passions, and a rural Bhutan picture . We were welcomed by their well known spirit "Ara". Then in a short space we saw their craft making, home building, traditional clothes , dances, songs and traditional archery . Of course we were also offered their favourite hot drink --- "Butter Tea". We were shocked to see a line up of decorated phallus (male reproductive organ) crafted in wood or mud placed prominently in the museum. The guide told us not to be shy or coy, because it is a fact of life and they worship it I think. In fact I found quite a few "soft toy" type phalluses sold in shops.The Museum trip was very informative and very relaxing too. At the market place I went around the trinket shops, curio shops, hosiery shops, clothes shops and a lot more. Everything looked desirable to me, but I did not buy , because I knew very well the small space of my flat in Mumbai.  At the market place a mini boxing tournament for juniors was going on. The participants were from neighbouring countries and they were competing under a "shamiana" with spectators sitting in a "stepped" area. The atmosphere was  nice with a comfortable evening breeze, music spewing out of loud speakers and a lot of cheering from the crowd. We returned to the hotel , had dinner , slept well and then woke up the next day, fresh and energised. We were prepared to move out of Thimphu towards  Punakha.

Mask craft.

Phallus- the erect male reproductive organ.

Dances by girls in their
traditional clothes.

Dance by boys in their traditional attire.

                    

Punakha is situated in another valley. So we had to take the route to the mountain top, cross over at the mountain pass (Dochula) and then go down the mountain route to Punakha.  It was getting colder as we were travelling up the mountain slope. I had a jersey on me ,and after sometime I put on a coat too. I was comfortable as far as the cold weather was concerned, but I could do nothing about the "nauseating" feeling as we were traversing the winding mountain road. The route up the mountain was scenic but I could not enjoy it much. I was happy to step out of the van as soon as we reached Dochula. A beautiful place. Many tourist vehicles were parked here. There was a light drizzle intermittently. "Misty-misty" atmosphere and dark cloud cover at a distance. This point is the best place to see the snow clad Himalayas  at a distance. The cloud cover worked as a spoiler and we could not spot the Jigme Singey Wangchuck Himalayan range , that is visible from here on a sunny day. We explored the area a bit . The iconic structure here is the Druk Wangyal Chortens. It is a cluster 0f 108  stupas with quite a unique style. This was built to honour Bhutanese soldiers who died in a conflict  sometime in 2003. This place is beautiful. With wisps of cloud moving around and the misty surroundings, one got a heavenly feeling.  

          Dochula  , is an attractive tourist spot with the stupas and well maintained gardens around. In fact it is a trekking place with some caves scattered around the mountain slopes. The gardens around are  well kept and beautifully green in this season. The caves have a historical and spiritual meaning too. These caves were used by famous lamas for meditation. 

          We explored the place for a while before taking cover inside a restaurant , from the rain. There were quite a few European tourists here. Everybody was enoying a hot drink and snacks. I relished a cup of hot butter tea. By the way, butter tea is salty and not aggreable to many palates.  The place was bustling with activity and everyone was making a bee line for the rest room. The next destination for all, I guess, was not too close. Our destination was Punakha which is far below this Mountain pass. 

Druk Wangyal Chortens.

A path to "heaven" (next to the 108 stupas)

Path into the mist. (next to the stupas)

                                                    

          In Punakha our stop was at the confluence of the MoChu & PhoChu or the confluence of Mo and Pho rivers . Our luggage was stacked up neatly inside the van and we got out of the van to explore. A very scenic place. We got a panoramic view of the Punakha Dzong , a government building   . It has a three tiered pagoda styled roof. The building looked perfectly blended with the distant hills and also the clear gurgling water of the rivers. The river was so beautifully blue from a distance. A closer look at the river gave us a glimpse of the pebbles below and the fishes too.  We walked over a woodden bridge (Bazam Bridge) and entered the serene premises of the Punakha Dzong. All administrative buildings have the monastic part and a government office part.  The entrance was at quite  a height and we had to climb up the steep steps to reach flat ground of the building. This building was built in the 17 th century and built in the prevelant style of that time. Very robust with thick walls and wooden carved doorways, windows and celing structures. Originally it was named as " Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong" ( The palace of Bliss and Great Happiness ). Its utility has changed over time from a fortress to a government administrative building now.  At the entrance is the government administrative area which seamlessly blends into the monastic area. In the government area the locals wear their traditional dress which includes a shawl draped on their shoulder. Our guide had come dressed in this fashion . He helped us buy the entrance tickets. Then we moved around this unique premises freely. We moved from one courtyard to another, walked through verandas and looked at the river from the wooden balconies. It was a nice experience. We were back to our van after about two or three  hours. 

              Our next destination was the swinging bridge over the river / chu. From a distance it looked like a bridge hanging precariously in mid air , connecting the two banks of the river  . On closer look it did not feel that dangerous. Though walking on the bridge was a bit of an adventure because one has to balance oneself as the bridge swings with every falling step of the pedestrians. We all crossed the bridge and rested at a cute eatery overlooking the river. The view was splendid and the "momos " served with tea at this eatery add to the charm of this place.

Punakha Dzong --Administrative centre of Punakha district.

Steep Steps to the Punakha Dzong.

Dignified traditional dress worn by
the men inside the administrative space.

Wood carved and painted doors and windows of the Dzong.

Courtyard inside the Dzong.

Another courtyard inside the
"fortress-monastery" (Dzong)

     

Suspension Bridge and the river below.

Walking on the suspension bridge.

    We drove to our hotel later. It was a nice place situated on the bank of the river. I could see the flowing river from my balcony. We did not go anywhere after settling in our rooms. We were here for just one night . The next day after breakfast we moved out.

        Our destination was Paro. To reach Paro we had to pass through Dochula. We did stop here again. It was a brighter day so we could just about see the snow clad Jigme Singey Wangchuk Mountain range.  Also on the way we stopped over at the Rhododendron festival. I thought , since this was spring time  this festival must be a flower show. It was not a flower show but another festival with folk dances , drinks, snack stalls, local art / craft stalls and people sitting around and relaxing. I tasted one or two alcoholic drinks. Then noticed a stall selling "Cordysep Tea". I had seen this tea being sold at the Thimpu Market place too. I learnt that this is a special type of tea that has medicinal value. The tea processing involves a type of fungus grown on caterpillars. Sounds a bit "creepy-crawley" , but then there  are buyers from far and wide for this medicinal tea. No body was ready to describe the exact process because it is a trade secret. Though I did not see any rhododendrons here, the place was quite nice with a pond and a small clearing on the hill slopes . The stalls were scattered in this clearing amidst tall trees. In an hour or so we were back again on the road towards Paro. By the time we reached Paro it was twilight. Our guide setteled us in the hotel and we freshened up and had dinner soon and went to bed early.

Rhododendron Festival.

The hill side festival area 
includes a pond.

Cordycep and its products
sold at the festival.

Cordyceps Tea and other toys and
crafts sold at the festival.

Dances and festivities at the 
Rhododendron Festival.

    The next day we geared ourselves up for a long trek to "Tiger's nest". This place is a monastery / temple perched up on a cliff. Generally travel brochures of Bhutan always focuses on this place. One can see stunning photographs of the monastery  on all travel brochures. So naturally I was absolutely determined to see it. What I did not know was , the difficult trek path one has to travel before even getting a glimpse of this beautiful structure.  Legend says that Guru Padmasambhava rode on a flying tigress to reach this point for meditation. Guru Padmasambhava is the one who brought Buddhism to this part of the Himalayas. Therefore a monastry was built here. I thought that if I am too scared or lethargic to climb , I could sit at the bottom of the mountain and feast my eyes on this magnificent monastry. Fortunately or unfortunately, the monastry is placed in such a way that one gets glimpses of parts of it only when one climbs the mountain. With an overwhelming desire to see the monastery , I bought a long and sturdy walking stick and began the climb up. Ofcourse I had my three other friends with me and our guide. The trek path passes through forested area. There are one or two trails, made absolutely by human foot fall. There is a pony/ horse trail too. One can choose to ride a pony/ horse (guided by the pony keeper). The four of us chose to walk up. It was a sunny day. On a rainey day this same hiking path becomes slippery and doubly difficult. My walk pace was slow with lots of stops on the way to rest or catch my breath. As the altitude gradually increased my pace became slower , not only because of the steepness of the path but also because I was tiring faster. There were the locals who climb up regularly, the tour guides who are experts at this job and many younger tourists who were zipping past me. My guide was a very sweet fellow who patiently walked with me and was giving me a hand when ever the terrain was difficult.  The tourists who were trekking to the Tiger's Nest came in all shades. Many tourists were Europeans , many were far East Asian, many were young and quite a few were older climbers too. 

           As one climb's up one gets glimpses of the monastery. Some parts of the monastery that was not visible at the bottom of the hill, comes into view as one climbs up. Finally one gets almost the total view at the half way point. Here a nice restaurant / Cafe is established. Food , drink and restrooms are available here. The place is well made with an enclosed "cafe " area and the levelled up space for easy walking and viewing. The best place was the large viewing deck that gave a view of almost the complete monastry structure.  Me , along with another friend decided to stay back here and trek no further. While the two other friends followed the trek path right up to the great monastry. Our guide was with them to help them and also guide them back here at the half way point. 

        They took about four hours to trek up and back , at this half way point. During these hours of wait I enjoyed coffee , photographed the monastery, pondered over the devoted builders of the monastry and enjoyed the surrounding mountains and sheer steep cliffs. I also had the opportunity to talk to many of the tourists who had come here. Many of them were visiting Bhutan because it was the Happiest country on this earth.

                                                          

Taktshang Cafeteria is the half way point to Tiger's Nest Monastery.

First clear view of the Tiger's Nest (Paro Taktsang) from the half way point.

Popular resting spot for hikers.

The Cafeteria entrance. 

                     

Clear view of the Paro Taktsang
from here.

Viewing Deck attached to the Cafe.

                   

The sheer rocky cliff on which
the monastery is built. 

The surrounding forest area.

Forested mountains.

     The second phase of the trek up the mountain was even more difficult because one has to navigate the sheer  steep rocky cliffs. I got a vivid description of the hike from my two friends. They were lucky , because it was a sunny day and they could easily climb up stairways built on the route. While waiting for my two friends to return from the Monastery, I captured the surrounding forested hills. I also took many photographs of wild flowers here and added to my collection of wild flower photographs from other parts of Bhutan (during this trip). The return trek from Taktshang Cafe to the base of the hill was relatively easy. By the time we were dropped off at the hotel , we began to feel the aches in our legs and a sense of fatigue creeped in. We had dinner and then we were off to bed and slept like logs. The trek had taken a toll on me. The food that I took at dinner did not agree with my stomach. So I wasn't exceptionally enthuastic the next day. We had to take the flight back to Kolkata and then to Mumbai. Our tour was over and I was back home in the late evening. It took another two days  for me , to recuperate and regain my mojo.

                                 

Wild Flowers