Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [139]
There are footprints of the Guru and his consort Yeshe Tsogyal on the cliff face and at the top of the concrete steps leading to the temple. The two huge rocks below the lhakhang represent male and female jachung, as well as the bathing spot of the Guru.
Just a couple of hundred metres away, by a two-legged khonying, is an important cremation site.
Ogyen Chholing Palace
From either Gamling or Kizum it’s a 45-minute climb to this hilltop 16th-century nagtshang, or country manor, originally built by Deb Tsokye Dorje, the one-time penlop of Trongsa and a descendant of the terton Dorji Lingpa. The present structures, including the tshuglhakhang (main temple), utse (central tower), chamkhang (dance house), shagkor (servants’ quarters) and nubgothang (guest house) are more recent, having been rebuilt after their collapse in the 1897 earthquake.
The family that owns Ogyen (or Ugyen) Chholing has turned the complex into a museum ((((www.geocities.com/ogyencholingmuseum; admission Nu 100)) to preserve its legacy and provide a place for religious studies, research and solitude. The fascinating and well-captioned exhibits offer real insights into the lifestyle of a Bhutanese noble family. Highlights include a book of divination, a dakini dance costume made of bone and the revelation that petrified yak dung was one of the ingredients for Bhutanese gunpowder. Bring a torch. The complex is supported through the Ogyen Chholing Trust, which produces an excellent museum booklet (Nu 180).
The superbly rustic Ogyen Chholing Guest House ( 03-631221; r Nu 500-1000) in the palace grounds has two excellent suites and four smaller basic rooms and offers a tranquil overnight retreat. Proceeds go to the trust.
If you walk to the palace from Kizum it’s well worth returning via the lovely village of Gamling. A 4WD track reaches the palace but at the time of research there was no road bridge over the river, due to a dispute between villagers over its proposed location.
Thowadrak Hermitage
The remote hermitage of Thowadrak (or Thowa Drak) clings to the highest rocks above the north end of the Tang valley. It is said to have been founded by Mandarava, the Indian consort of Guru Rinpoche, and the Guru himself is believed to have meditated here. The goemba was built by Dorji Lingpa. There are numerous small meditation retreats on the hillside above (don’t disturb the hermits) and dramatic views over the valley. Texts relate that the upper valley conceals a sealed gateway to one of Bhutan’s bey-yul. The only sounds here are of rushing water and the rustle of bamboo.
The six-hour return hike could be done as a day trip from the Ogyen Chholing Guest House or can be tagged on to the end of the Bumthang Cultural trek (Click here). From Jakar you’d have to leave very early, figuring in a two-hour drive each way, plus an hour at the site. Bring a packed lunch. The hike is probably only really worthwhile for those with a spiritual leaning.
The trail starts near the suspension bridge to Karap, though with a 4WD you could cut off the first 45 minutes’ walk. After an hour or so walking along the dirt road, five minutes past a white chorten, take the trail branching to the right, down to a wooden bridge across the river. Follow the lovely riverside trail for 20 minutes to a second bridge beside a Bhutanese-style chorten. The trail climbs to the right, past well-tended mani walls to a white chorten surrounded by lush dense forest. The trail continues uphill, past trailside shrines, dakini marks, carved mantras and a stone lion-print. The last 40 minutes is a killer climb, up increasingly steep steps.
Just before the main Pema Osel Chholing chapel is a pilgrim’s shelter and sin-testing rock. At the back of the chapel a log ladder leads down around the cliff face to a holy spring.
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URA VALLEY