Some beliefs and rituals in Bhutan

Along with being a beautiful country, Bhutan has continued to preserve its culture and rituals over a period of many years. It also makes a conscious effort to maintain it.

Combining this post with the one on the places I saw in Bhutan would not have done justice to the cuturally rich country.

It is not easy to get understand the culture or rituals of a place in such a short time. I have written what I understood from talking to people.

Dilbu dorje:

dilbu with dorje

In Buddhist rituals, both the dilbu or tilbu (prayer bell or ghanta in devnagari) and dorje ( vajra) are used together.

The dorje symbolises thunderbolt or lightening and represents enlightenment and truth.

The bell is used to invoke the presence of Buddha and the deities. It also symbolizes compassion and wisdom.

Together they form the symbol of purity which no force can destroy during the ritual prayer. Notice the bell in picture carefully and you see dorjis all around near the rim. 

I found an interesting feature in dilbu. If you rub its rim in a clockwise manner with a wooden handle, it starts vibrating to produce a resonating sound like a singing bowl !

Prayer wheel:

Very synonymous to any Buddhistic country is the prayer wheel. This along with prayer beads help in concentrating during meditation. A prayer wheel is a cylindrical oblong structure made of metal, stone or wood. They are either hand held like the picture below or are giant prayer wheels. Both serve the same purpose as they have a mantra inscribed ( Aum Mani Padme Hum). So, the more one turns the wheel, the more merits one accumulates. It should always be turned in a clockwise direction as the mantra is written in that direction and that is also the direction of the movement of sun across the sky.

hand held prayer wheel

Prayer wheel and prayer beads in hand 

giant prayer wheels

Sometimes, bells are attached to a wheel, so everytime the wheel spins, the bell rings.
In fact, I saw solar powered prayer wheels too. They are usually put on the dashboard of car.

solar powered prayer wheel 

Prayer flags:
These form a very important ritual in Bhutan and gives the country an ethereal character. One sees them everywhere, outside homes, on top of hills, bridges. They are hoisted to bring happiness, prosperity, long life not only to the planter but also to everyone around. It also helps in gaining merits for this and next birth.

Prayer flags on a hill 

I noticed different types of prayer flags. One running in horizontal direction and the other planted on a pole vertically. The horizontal flags or lungdhar are a series of rectangular pieces of cloth inscribed with auspicious mantra, symbols strung together at the top to a string.

            mantra incription                             so many flags!!                              getting ready to tie the flag

The flag has 5 colors representing Panchmahabhoot or the 5 elements from which the earth is made. It is strung in the same order of:
 blue representing space, white representing air, red which denotes fire, green standing for water and yellow meaning the earth.

There are certain conditions to this ritual :

• It is mandatory for the day to be auspicious, not all days are good. The good days are even forecasted by local newspaper. If, the day tis not auspicious then, the purpose is defeated.
• It needs to be blessed by a Lama.
• It should be hung high, the reason being that the strong winds carry the good vibrations across and takes away all the sufferings and misfortunes with it.
• They are also hung at the beginning of a long journey or starting a new venture or even by students for getting good grades in examinations.

We got a very good opportunity to partake in this ceremony. After the flag has been tied to a suitable place, Lama blesses the people wishing for the fulfilment of purpose. He sprinkles some rice symbolising flowers from sky.

Because of the strong wind, I had a hard time taking picture of one part of the flag. Each flag has certain symbols on it.
Garuda eating a snake ( top left corner) means to frighten all evils
Dragon (top right corner ) removing all dangers which fall from sky as lightening.
Tiger ( below left corner ) success in life without any hurdles or obstacles.
Lion (below right corner) to be ahead in each step of life.

Apart from these symbols, Buddha and a chorten can be seen. A flying horse in the center symbolizes achievement of all good work. The flags represent wishes made to God for fulfillment.

There are vertical flags also called darchor. Some are the same colors as lungdhar. They serve the same purpose as the lungdhar.

white flags on top of a hill

Then, there are manidhar or gurudhar prayer flags which are erected in memory of the deceased and help in smooth transition between heaven or next birth. If, possible 108 manidhars should be erected. These have inscriptions to Avalokiteshwar. The number 108 is concerned lucky by Buddhists. The reason being that Buddha attained enlightenment after 108 incarnations.

As with all things associated with prayers and beliefs, these flags need to be respected. They should not be placed on the ground or torn. They should not be removed once erected.

Chachapaa:

Prayer flags and chachapaas

Once, outside the takin reserve, we went up the road towards Bhutan Broadcasting Tower. On the way, we saw plenty of chachpaa in nooks, corners, everywhere.

Chachapaa placed along the mountain wall 

Chachapaa are usually made of clay and have a grain of rice, wheat and a statue of Buddha inside. These sealed structures are blessed by Lama and put in a place from its being under anyone's feet.
They are put for the prosperity and also for recovery of an ailing member in a family.

Torma:
I happened to see these on a roadside while walking one day. On asking, I was told that these are called tormas which are made either of clay or dough. A butter lamp is also put along with many things.

Torma on a roadside

close-up of torma

Tormas are put in many places and for various reasons. It might be put to remove any ill luck on a person or a family. It is also put to free a possessed person from di (male) or deem (female). An effigy made out of dough or a picture is put on torma so that di or deem gets tricked into believing that this is the person. The spirit or di or deem follows the effigy leaving the real person!
The tormas are then either put on a roadside or put in river so that the flow carries it away. The direction they face are specific for the purpose they have been made for.
This also forms a part of annual pooja, where 8-10 Lamas bless the household to remove any evil eye on the family.

Blessings by Lama:
Every guest who checks-in at the hotel is blessed by Lama so that their stay is pleasant and fruitful.




Doma and Paney:

Fresh paney leaves and doma                                                                    sold this way 

Doma is the areca nut (supari) and paney is betel leaf (paan).
This is loved by people here and they love to chew it. Unlike, in India where catechu ( katha) and generally dry areca nut is added, here only slaked lime (chuna) and fresh areca nuts are added.

I read a very interesting article on flight which mentioned that doma paney was introduced by Guru Rinpoche as a substitute for cannibalism that was prevalent during that time. Slaked lime and areca nuts imparts a red color to sputum and that gave an illusion of blood.
Apart from chewing, this also forms an important thing during prayer ceremonies.

So much more exist in Bhutan, but I witnessed just few of these things.
Hope in my next visit, I am able to understand more of Bhutan.

More of Bhutan

It has been 3 days since I came here and still have not ventured out. I needed to give time to my body to adjust to altitude sickness !
There are many things that catch your attention. Its those simple things which you ordinarily miss in the busy stream of your life. Birds, beautiful flowers, prayer flags which all seem so mundane and simple.

Unfortunately, the day we decided to go out was not good as the sky would become cloudy by afternoon.
Yet, who would'nt get a smile, seeing these roadside blooms?

flowers in bloom on roadside

National Memorial Chorten:
Chorten means a stupa. This memorial was built in the memory of the third king, Jigme Dorji Wangchhuck.

People circumambulate the chorten clockwise and then pay their respects to the late king.

                                        Paying obeisance to the late King                   giant prayer wheels                                                     

People also whirl prayer wheels at the entrance because the more you spin the wheel, more merits you gain. People sit near the prayer wheel sometimes spinning it as much as possible.

Buddha Point :

This 53 meter Buddha steel statue, still under construction, sits on top of a hill called Kuensel Phodrang. It is a joint project between Bhutan, Singapore, Thailand and China. It affords a majestic view of the valley and is visible from any point in Thimphu.
Buddha sits on lotus in padmasan (lotus) pose. In one hand, Buddha holds a pot of life or elixir and near his feet is the dorji. I would soon be writing about dorji in some detail in my next post.

Beneath the pedestal where Lord Buddha sits will be a place where 100 thousand (1 lakh ) statues of Buddha will be installed when completed.

A view of Thimphu valley

Changangkha Lhakhang:

This is one of the oldest temples in Thimphu valley built in 12th century. You climb the steps and reach the temple. The outer path has a series of black and gold prayer wheels.

This temple is meant for new borns and young children, that is why you see plenty of parents come with their new born or young to seek blessings from the protective deity, Tamdrin, housed in the main chapel along with Avalokiteshwara, the Buddha of Compassion. As no photography is permitted inside the main chapel, I could not take any.

Prayer wheels in the path around the chapel

going round with a prayer wheel and prayer beads

On looking carefully behind the prayer wheels, I was able to see black tablets.  I took only three pictures.

 Guru Zhabdrung                             Lord Buddha                          Tamdrin        

Guru Zhabdrung is reverred as he brought Buddhism to Bhutan and Tamdrin is the diety for children. Only children born in Thimphu visit this place to be blessed by the diety. It is believed that children who get nightmares or have disturbed sleep are given the Ara which has been blessed from this place. Ara is a traditional Bhutanese drink made from rice. It is also produced for religious purposes. This blessed drink miraculously cures children of all the ailments.

Takin reserve :

It comes as a great surprise to me that such a beautiful country can be having an unattractive animal like takin as its national animal. But, it is associated with religion and mythology.

The story goes back many centuries, when Lama Drukma Kunley visited this place and people asked him to perform a miracle. He asked for a cow and goat to eat. After having finished eating, he assembled the head of goat and body of cow and commanded it to rise. Takin was born!

board giving the details of Takin

Though these animals graze in the meadows and one may occasionally see them but the best place to see takins is to visit the Takin reserve in Thimphu. Takins are herbivores and mainly eat bamboo though at the reserve they were given soaked black gram to eat. They are an endangered species but fortunately for them, their body parts do not have any significant value so are not in much demand by the poachers.

As with animals under captivity, we need to make sure that we do not tease or feed the animals. One sees these boards throughout the fence.

girl on a loom

We went upwards and came to a place on right where we saw a girl weaving silk and cotton scarves. The colors were pretty and cheaper than market. Our friends bought a couple of cotton scarves.

Buddha Park:
There is a quiet park opposite the stadium on the opposite end of the vegetable market. It is a perfect place for contemplation and to be on your own.

river flowing alongside the park

Tashicho Dzong:
Dzong means a type of fortress. This dzong houses His Majesty's office, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of home and cutural Affairs, Cabinet Secretariat in one half and monastery in the other half.

Tashichodzong

View from above near the Nunnery

One special feature I came to know is that only important buildings as the Royal Palace, the Parliament, Dzong, Supreme Court, High Court can have golden roofs. Other buildings can have a green or blue color but not gold.

Supreme Court under construction

Supreme Court has been funded by India and has recently been inaugurated during the visit of Indian Prime Minister.

Folk dances:
Bhutan has many folk dances. I could see just a few.

The mask dance

This dance called Drametse nga cham is the most popular dance form. It is performed by male dancers in wooden mask on most of the festivals.  The dance is accompanied by cymbals and drums.

Layab

The above dance form called Layab or the dance of the nomads is performed by nomadic herders of western Bhutan. They wear a dress made of hand-woven yak hair and have bamboo hats on their head.

Religious mask dance

The above dance form Shazam Cham is performed as a opening dance during all religious festivals in Bhutan.

Thrung thrung

The dance of black-necked crane is perfomed by women during black-necked crane festival. 

Thangka :
Thang means flat and ka means painting.

Thangka in our hotel room 

These are paintings made on flat surface mainly on silk or cotton which can easily be rolled when not in use. These are based on the life of Buddha and are an important teaching aid. The above painting is a Mandala thangka painting.
Apart from Bhutan these paintings are also made in Tibet and Nepal.

Every country has its own beliefs and rituals. I plan to write about it in my next post so keep reading :)

Bhutan, the land of Thunder Dragon

Having heard about Bhutan's preserved culture and beauty, I am at loss of words to perfectly describe this mountain abode. The land of happiness ! Isn't this term synonomous with Bhutan?

My excitement knew no bounds as the aircraft started its decent.  It is a nerve jerking experience as it snakes its way in between huge rugged mountains on either side. Coupled with this,  the stong wrinds make the landing more difficult.

The carriers to this picturesque place are Druk Air and Bhutan airlines. I come to learn that there are just 8 pilots qualified in maneuvering the aircraft through the serpentine route between the mountains.  It indeed is one of the terrifying and dangerous landings in the world.

flying in between the mountains

Welcome to Paro airport

The journey from Paro to Thimphu provides a picturesque view.  At Chuzom, two rivers Paachu and Thimphu meet to form Wangchuk which joins Brahmaputra on its onward journey.

      river running beside the road                         oldest suspesion bridge                                   confluence of rivers                                                                                                           

How can I commence writing about Bhutan without mentioning Druk or the Thunder dragon? One sees it everywhere on buildings throughout the country.

outside Paro airport

painted balustrade of shops

Druk on a pillar

beautiful dragon painted on a pillar 

Thunder dragon is held in high esteem by the people here.  It is said that the dragon has an egg which protects the country and sees that no harm comes to its people. Thundering of clouds is often associated with the movement of this dragon and people pray for their well being.

In its claws, it also holds mystical relics which bring prosperity and good fortune to the country. When these relics move, earthquakes take place.  Apart from the buildings and homes, thunder dragon is the center point in Bhutan flag.

Bhutan flag

The thunder dragon sits between the two colors dividing them equally.
Yellow color signifies the King of Bhutan and red signifies Buddhist monks. The placement of druk signifies equal and balanced importance of both.
In between the claws, the druk holds the jewels symbolising country's jewels and wealth are safe.
The snarling mouth means that Bhutan will always be protected by its deities.

entrance to Thimphu  

                             smiling and elegant Bhutanese girls                                   smart young Bhutanese boys                                                              

I give all credit to the hotel girls who helped me in procurring all information I needed. Thanks, Rinzin, I have learnt a lot.
There is so much to see and learn at Thimphu.  I just managed to see a few in the given time frame.

I plan to walk down to the vegetable market today.  Its walking distance from the hotel.  Moreover, the rarified air here is making me breathless :(  I need to give myself some time to get used to the altitude.

Vegetable Market:
I have never seen more highly organised market place for vegetables, cereals, fruits, meat than the municipal market in Thimphu.

fresh vegetables 

                             cereals and local produce                                                                           local cheese 

          fresh fruits                                                                              dried vegetables, chillies, lentils

Who would'nt be interested in buying art stuff?   We cross the road from vegetable market and enter the art and craft market.  There are temporary stalls that are set up every Friday to Sunday. This market gives a perfect opportunity to take back souvenirs from this exotic place.  Crossing the cantilever bridge, I could not stop myself from appreciating the old bridge.

bridge opposite the vegetable market

inside of bridge, the beautiful artwork on roof

The whole length of bridge has prayer flags on either side.  The walls and roof are beautifully painted. It is believed that child birth is easy if an expectant mother crosses the bridge several times.

bridge from outside 

Coming down the steps, are beads, farming tools, jewelry.

beads, scarves and much more... 

art pieces 

Beautiful carving on a conch

How tempted am I to buy so many things.  Finally, I settle to buying dilbu and dorji ( prayer bell)  and a prayer wheel.  Dilbu is always sold along with dorji.

Prayer wheel, dilbu and dorji

I plan to write in detail about the rituals and beliefs in my coming posts on Bhutan where I shall also be writing about dilbu and dorji.

Tomorrow might be the day for some sight seeing.