Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [100]
Across a bridge on the far side of the valley is the Kunga Choeling Goemba, below the hilltop shedra (Buddhist college) of Tsacho Chukor. The dirt road that leads from Satsam Chorten back to Paro is an option for mountain bikers.
TAKTSHANG GOEMBA
Taktshang is the most famous of Bhutan’s monasteries, miraculously perched on the side of a sheer cliff 900m above the floor of Paro valley, where the only sounds are the murmurs of wind and water and the chanting of monks. The name means ‘tiger’s nest’; it is said that Guru Rinpoche flew to the site of the monastery on the back of a tigress, a manifestation of his consort Yeshe Tsogyal, to subdue the local demon, Singey Samdrup. He then meditated in a cave here for three months.
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SUBDUING THE DEMONESS
When the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo married the Chinese princess Wencheng in 641, her dowry included the Jowo Sakyamuni, a priceless Indian statue of the Buddha as a small boy. As the statue was transported through Lhasa, it became stuck in the mud and no-one could move it. The princess divined that the obstruction was being caused by a huge supine demoness, lying on her back with her navel over a lake where Lhasa’s main temple, the Jokhang, now stands.
In 659 the king decided to build 108 temples in a single day to pin the ogress to the earth forever and, at the same time, convert the Tibetan people to Buddhism. Temples were constructed at her shoulders and hips, which corresponded to the four districts of central Tibet, and her knees and elbows, which were in the provinces. The hands and feet lay in the borderlands of Tibet, and several temples were built in Bhutan to pin down the troublesome left leg.
The best known of these temples are Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro, which holds the left foot, and Jampa Lhakhang in Bumthang, which pins the left knee. Other lesser-known temples have been destroyed, but it is believed that, among others, Konchogsum Lhakhang in Bumthang, Khaine Lhakhang south of Lhuentse, and two temples in Haa may have been part of this ambitious project.
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The site has long been recognised as a ney, or holy place. It was visited by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1646 and pilgrims from all over Bhutan come here. Milarepa is also said to have meditated here, while Thangtong Gyalpo revealed a terma (treasure text) at Taktshang. The primary lhakhang was built in 1692 around the Dubkhang (also called the Pelphu), the holy cave in which Guru Rinpoche meditated, by the penlop of Paro, Gylse Tenzin Rabgye.
On 19 April 1998 a fire (which some say was arson) destroyed the main structure of Taktshang and all its contents. It had suffered a previous fire and was repaired in 1951. Reconstruction started on an auspicious day in April 2000 at a cost of 130 million ngultrum and the rebuilt site was reconsecrated in the presence of the king in 2005. Tradition says that the original building was anchored to the cliff-face by the hairs of khandroma (dakinis, or female celestial beings), who transported the building materials up onto the cliff on their backs. The renovation team had only a cable lift for assistance.
The Hike
The only way up to the Tiger’s Nest is to walk, ride a horse or fly on the back of a magic tiger (the latter generally reserved for Tantric magicians). The 1¾ hour hike is a major part of any tourist itinerary and is unmissable for the spectacular views. It’s also a good warm-up hike if you are going trekking. If the full hike sounds a bit tough you can walk (or ride horses) to the ‘caféteria’, a wooden teahouse-restaurant, which offers a good view of the monastery. If you require horses, be sure to mention this to your guide a day or two in advance. Wear a hat and bring water.
A new road, built to facilitate the reconstruction of the monastery, branches off 8km north of Paro and climbs 3km to the trailhead at 2600m.