Moving away from Thimpu, our next destination was Punakha. This beautiful and quaint town did really jolt us with its unique and strange practices. Before I get to the practices, let me brief you about the man behind it…Drukpa Kunley ( popularly known as the Divine Madman) the revered saint of the Bhutanese.
Some of the pictures posted below may appear kinky and unconventional . But to explain Punakha ‘s tryst with the phallus and fertility, it is unavoidable…..
The Divine Madman
The Tibetan monk Lama Drukpa Kunley is known here as the divine madman. And this is not without reason. He had rather unconventional and unorthodox ways of teaching Buddhism , often relayed with sexual connotations. He questioned the preconceived ideas of society particularly its hypocrisies. The monastic community was his chief target. His use of the Phallus to subdue demons and enlighten humans was rather bizarre and his phallus was considered so powerful that it was dubbed the “Thunderbolt of Flaming Wisdom.”
“Wine and women are my meditation”….he declared and wrote blasphemous poetry which shocked the regular clergy. He proclaimed that celibacy was not a necessity to the path of enlightenment. He got himself lot of followers particularly women and earned the nickname “Saint of 5000 Women”.
The phallus is considered a symbol of fertility and good luck and even today, his influence looms large in the form of giant phalluses painted on walls of houses. He is perhaps the only saint in the world exclusively identified with the phallus.
These pictures and models of giant phalluses seen everywhere will seem a little strange to the first time visitor as it did to us.
Pictures of animals and chortens painted on the walls are a common site everywhere in Bhutan. But when you reach Punakha, the story is different …..
In such a conventional Buddhist country, this practice seems unbelievable indeed!
Have a look at this strange practice….
Pictures on walls found elsewhere in Bhutan
Phallus paintings so typical of Punakha
Not only these pictures, you will find phallus models everywhere, from the roof tops to entrances and they form an important gift item and souvenir from here. Phallic art is so inherent to the people of the region and not considered quirky here. In fact, these souvenirs are believed to bring good luck.
Phallic art souvenirs displayed in shops around Punakha.
Punakha is inseparably associated with the word ” Fertility”. On one side ,it is a rather fertile valley with lot of farming around and on the other, it is has associations with human fertility too….
The famous fertility temple known as Chime Lhakhang is located here and infertile couples visit this temple and are believed to have been blessed with off spring…
Chime Lhakhang
This fertility temple is located on a small hillock at Punakha. A small climb will take us to this unique temple.
This temple was built in memory of The Divine Madman and the locals believe that there was a demon who created trouble for the locals and converted himself into a dog to avoid the wrath of the Divine Madman. But he subdued the dog with his phallus and buried it at the site of the black chorten seen at the entrance to the temple.
This temple is visited by devotees from all over the world who seek fertility blessings . After seeking the blessings and offering prayers, the lady is expected to circum ambulate the temple with the phallus model. The temple in fact has an album of pictures with couples who are believed to have benefited from the divine intervention.
The temple itself is not as grandiose as many of the temples in Bhutan and appears rather simple. Some pictures….
The short path up the hillock and the board explaining the legend of the temple
The unusual black chorten at the entrance associated with the dog demon
A huge prayer wheel at the entrance and many small wheels around the temple
The main temple
A large peepal tree adorns the courtyard with small seats for devotees to rest.
Resting in the courtyard and view of Punakha from the hillock
Photography is prohibited within the temple and images of the deity cannot be shown. There is a statue of Guru Padmasambhava with a reclining statue of Drukpa Kunley beside it.
A 10 inch phallus model made of wood and ivory is kept here near the altar and we were all blessed by the priest with a tap on the head with it.
After some pictures in the courtyard, we proceeded back to the bus to continue our tour of Punakha. See you next week with more pictures and stories from Punakha. Till then, do continue to give your feedback and comments.
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