Bhutan - The Spiritual Land

By Meera

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Our journey to Thimphu, the quaint capital city of Bhutan was quite interesting but tiring. We zipped through the sub-tropical and alpine zones of this amazing country in a winding and twisted manner. It is a long journey as one has to cross three beautiful dzongkhags (districts) while the scenery changes from stark to ornate to verdant.

However, one cannot miss the spiritual touch in the mountainous landscape with spires visible in many villages. We passed many such places that were dotted with colorful prayer flags.

Religion permeates every nook and cranny with small temples dotting every human settlement, gardens, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Therefore, wherever one travels on a trail, one gets to see chortens (small temples), fort-like monasteries, monk schools and of course, the austere and simple dzongs (a distinctive fortified building). So even as you pass the valleys, one can hear the drum sounds as also deep sounds from longhorns and the melodious chanting of mantras.

 

Further, the drive from Thimphu to Paro (a town in western Bhutan) takes almost two hours as one has to pass through some of the most spectacular mountain slopes and towering hills along the River Wangchu. This mighty river flows from Thimphu and runs rapidly over boulders between cliffs and foams aggressively when joined by tributaries from nearby ranges. Even as we reach Paro, we can see the Paro Chhu River with our teeth rattling and freezing wind blowing over us.

Climbing is not so easy in Bhutan and as we go up and up the Himalayas, it becomes cold, difficult, and arduous. Now without visiting Taktsang (the Tiger’s Nest) and Paro Dzong, our visit would have been incomplete, futile as they are considered two of the finest examples of Bhutanese architecture.

 

From the international airport at Paro town, we traveled a bit some two kilometers away and there was this famous and traditional wooden bridge which is called the Nyamai Zam over the Paro Chhu River. The original bridge was reportedly washed away in a flood in the sixties while the present one is a reconstruction. Breathing the pure, fresh air is an experience but one cannot withstand the chilly winds for long.

 

Standing on the bridge, one can feel the heavy movement even as the river flows down below sending its alpine winds. Further up, if we climb some 70-75 steps, it leads towards Paro Dzong, a huge fortress built with stones. It is completely pristine white and is called the Rinpung Dzong. 

Now after this outing, our attempt to visit the Tiger’s Nest did not succeed as we were tired and feeling very cold as it was raining. Although we traveled to the base camp of the Taktsang which is situated at a height of over 10,000 feet, we could not go further and had to be satisfied with the view of the famous monastery from here. This is located in Paro which is situated at a height of 7380 feet with lush green paddy fields and verdant meadows.

The Tiger’s Nest literally hangs from a cliff and to reach this place, it takes 3-4 hours of climbing and criss-crossing pine forests and steep ridges. 

Now why is it called Tiger’s Nest? It is believed that Guru Padmasambhava came riding on a tigress from Tibet to this place where the country’s most famous monastery stands today. He meditated in a cave for three months and later introduced Buddhism in Bhutan.

This is the land of the stark rugged mountains while the steep and barren landscape with some part of it snowclad or mist covered is magical and only a visit to this land would convince you of its natural heritage. It ranges from a mere 500 feet to unbelievable heights of 23-24,000 feet. And so, even as we moved from district to district from west to east, the terrain changed from tropical to temperate to alpine. But we gladly soaked in the atmosphere of this Buddhist land and its culture where its people living in the high mountains follow a unique form of spirituality.

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