Tigers nest, Bhutan

Many a times there are places which we desperately want to visit and Taktsang Gompa or Taktsang Dzong or popurlarly known as the Tiger's nest had been in my mind since the first time I visited Bhutan three years back.
On our visit to Bhutan this time, we managed to pay our homage to Guru Rinpoche. I found it one of the most challenging and arduous trek. Coupled with the rarified air, the trek becomes all the more difficult.

Since this monastery is the place where Guru Rinpoche meditated for 3 years, I must mention something about him first.

Life of Guru Rinpoche in brief:
Who was Guru Rinpoche and where did he come from? Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche as he is referred to in Bhutan was "born" in Afghanistan-Pakistan border in the Kingdom of Odiyan. The river Indus forms a lake of lotus flowers and it is in one of the lotus Padmasambhava arose as an eight year old child with vajra (thunderbolt) in one hand and a lotus in another, thus giving him the name of Padmasambhava, born from lotus.

He married Prabhadharani, daughter of the king and ruled the place. He soon realized that this lifestyle was getting into his spiritual life so in a mystical way, he killed the son of a wicked advisor for which he was banished from the kingdom to a cremation ground. Here, he practiced, gained many siddhis and came to be known as Raudravajrakala, "the wrathful vajra art".
He soon after went to Bodhgaya, recieved teachings from scholars, masters and dakinis after which he was bestowed the title of Guru Dhimana Varruchi or "The Supreme Love Endowed with Wisdom".
He travelled to the Kingdom of Zahor, now in Himachal Pradesh, India where he married Mandarva, daughter of King Shastradhara. As she possessed the characteristics of a dakini, he took her to Maratika cave in Nepal where they performed meditation.  Soon after, he returned to Odiyan disguised as a beggar but people recognised him and he was ordered to be burnt alive. Expecting to see ashes, people were surprised to see him alive sitting on a lotus with his consort, Mandarva by his side. After this they went to Asura Gupha in the now Pharping in Nepal. See the blog post Pharping, Nepal.

Buddhism in Tibet:
Black magic and witch craft was commonly practiced in Tibet at that time.  At the request of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet, Guru Padmasambhava went to Tibet from Nepal and along to free people of all these practices.  With the King he constructed the first monastery at Samye, supervised translation of scriptures from Sanskrit to Tibetan thus setting up the whole system of Buddhism around the 8th century. He is said to be in Tibet for a very long time.

Buddhism in Bhutan:
Guru Rinpoche visited Bhutan thrice. Around 746, King Sendharkha ruled a province in central Bhutan which is now Bumthang. Over a period of time, the King became ill and only Guru Rinpoche could help him.
He heard the call of King, The King was seriously ill and invited Guru Ripoche to cure him. The Guru proceeded to Bumthang, cured the King who soon became a Buddhist.
The next year, he came from Tibet after setting the monastery with his Tibetan consort, Yeshe Tsogyal, travelling all over Bhutan. Yeshe Tsogyal was a Tibetan princess who became a disciple of Guru Rinpoche and later his consort.

I took the above picture at an art shop. Seated is Guru Rinpoche and below are his consorts. On the left of picture is Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal and to the right of picture is Sheychom Mandarva.

Picture--http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Category:Guru_Drakpo

After this he flew to Taktsang in Paro in the form of his fierceful eighth manifestation, Drakpo or Guru Dorje Drolo on the back of Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal who he transformed into a flaming tigress for this purpose. The monastery thus gets its name "Tiger's nest". Tak means tiger and tsang means a lair or den.

After this, he made another visit to Bhutan sometime in the beginning of the 8th century. It is also said though he breathed his last at Narsimha Gompa in Muktinath, Places to visit in Muktinath, Nepal, his body was brought back to Paro Taktsang where it was hidden among the caves. Some say that his body miraculously flew to Taktsang.  It is now enshrined under a golden chorten in one of the five temples there.

The monastery was made much later in 1692 and additions to it were made subsequently.

The trek begins:
I was excited and equally nervous about my impending trek to the monastery. We had given sufficient time to our body to acclimatize with the difference in altitude, I wasn't sure of myself. Since we were staying at Thimphu, the journey took additional one and half hours to reach the car park.

There are plenty of souvenir shops near the car park before you start your journey.  It is a good idea to either get hiking stick or buy one. There are sticks on sale at the entrance.  I could not have made it without one.

I looked up to see my destination, a white speck among the cliffs 2950 meters above sea level and was wondering whether I would ever be able make it. From the car park to the monastery, the elevation gained would be 1,707 feet or approx. 900 meters. Not easy with a steep rugged climb, catching your breath most of the times.

An easier option is to hire a mule which takes you to half the distance. We opted to walk the distance. Honestly, I had not expected it to be that challenging. The gradient start gradually but I have already started getting breathless.

Past water powered prayer wheels, the trek continues. This is the perfect place for mules to stop and have a drink.

My husband seeing me resting off and on asked if I would be interested in a mule and I said no each time. I personally felt that if I was going to a holy place, I need to put in effort in reaching that place.

Small temples along with the smell of forest air make a pleasant trek

The path starts gaining height at places with lose stones. It is important to have a firm footing here.

miles to go!

encouraging and motivating signs

This is almost the mid way and mules are not permitted  to go further. There is a place to sit near the big prayer wheel where we sat to catch our breath and had some refreshments. The cool breeze with the sound of wind passing through the pine trees was ethereal. I just wanted to close my eyes and lie down.

The prayer wheels give a spiritual atmosphere to the place. It beckons you to move ahead with determination and faith.

 

entrance to cafeteria

Bhutan Tourism Corportion has a cafetaria. Most people who do not feel the urge to go further, end their journey here. There is also a good view of the monastery from here. The track on the side leads to monastery. We decided to stop for coffee on our return. By this time, we have covered 1.3 miles and gained a height of approx. 1000 feet.

Chachapaas with prayer flags on the side. Chachapas can be put anywhere where it is safe from sun and rain. They are made for varied purposes. Sometimes, as an offering after the wishes have been fulfilled. Some of them are made with the ashes of a deceased member which is mixed with clay and put in a safe place. It can also be put in a house, a ledge.

Sometimes they are made of flour in which case they are thrown in the river to be eaten by fish.
I have written about chachapaas in my post on Some beliefs and rituals in Bhutan.
They are similar to tsha tsha in Nepal.

The track flattens and we saw a small wooden house on the side. There is a sign saying that Khenpo Geshey Guenden Rinchen was born here.

Khenpo Geshey Guenden Rinchen was interested in Buddhist studies from his childhood. He later became the Je Khenpo Geshey or the Chief Abott of Central Monastic Body of Bhutan.

My husband climbed up wooden steps to peep through a wire mesh and took a picture of the Abott.

Guenden Rinchen was the 69th Abott of Bhutan. After giving religious teachings throughout the country, he renounced everything and adopted the life of meditation.
His remains are kept in Taschiko Dzong in Thimphu.

A white flag signals the start of steps which everyone feels are more dangerous than the trek. Its important to be careful as the stones are not uniformly set.
There are symbols made on the flag, I couldn't manage to take a closeup as there was no space for doing that. The wind also was making the flag flutter a lot.
The mythical animals were:
dragon: a protective being
Garuda: fearless with a snake in its mouth symbolizing removal of negative or bad influences.
snow lion: symbolizes doubt free mind and cheerfulness
tiger: symbolizing confidence

animals on a flag

This picture is taken from the view point and this gives the best picture of the monastery. The golden tiered roofs with maroon and white is a sight to behold.

Perched precariously on the side of cliff 900 meters from the valley. The sheer drop of height makes one wonder as to how difficult it must have been at the time of construction.

Notice a thin trail in the above picture, they are the steps I have to ascend before reaching the monastery.

With hike over, I was kind of happy but when I started going the uneven steps, I realised it was not going to be that easy. Holding on to the railing I started my descent.

As the steps end, there is a water powered prayer wheel (the white temple you see in the picture) and a waterfall which drops to form a pool. I see in front of me steps going up, so I have descended all the way to cross to another mountain!

I did not count but was told that there are a total of 700 steps to monastery making 1400 round trip.

In between catch your breath and enjoy the view of Paro valley.

The prayer flags with the back drop of monastery

the water powered prayer wheel just before crossing the bridge

Soon after this prayer wheel, we cross a stream formed by the waterfall.

It is named Shelkarchu and falls from a height of 60 meters forming a pool which further flows down.

Immediately, after crossing the bridge, there is this sign in front just before the entrance door to monastery.

The board says that Yeshi Tsogyal, Tibetan consort of Guru Rinpoche meditated in a cave up there.

A flight of steps and you see Shingye Phug (lion's cave). Here insde this cave Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal meditated and practiced Vajrakilaya

With renewed energy of making to the my destination, I started my ascent. I had almost reached there!

The temple is closed for lunch between 1 to 2 pm. Sadly we reached at that time but relaxed enjoying the view. There is a wooden ledge for visitors to sit during that time.
I looked down to Paro valley and praised myself. I had trekked another 1.3 miles from the cafeteria and gained approx. 750 feet altitude.

There is a counter where one needs to register themselves and a room next to it has lockers which are quite big. Since nothing is permitted to be taken inside the monastery, personal stuff is all put in the locker. The place is safe and no one takes anyone's stuff, but if you are carrying some thing precious, it is a good idea to carry a small lock with you.

Before climbing the final steps, everyone is manually frisked. No one is permitted to carry mobile phones, cameras inside. I was wearing a short sleeve shirt, they asked me to put on a jacket over it and zip it.

Since my camera is in the locker, what I write now is what I saw.

As soon as you climb up the stairs, turning on the right is a huge rock called "Do Nyinda Marmo"with a thumb impression. It also has a sun and moon sign. You stand at a distance and with closed eyes make a wish. It is said that if with your eyes still closed, if your thumb hits the thumb impression on the rock, your wish is granted.

Temples in Taktsang:
The temples are situated in three levels:
the lower level:
After seeing the black rock and  removing your shoes, you enter the room where Guru Rinpoche meditated.  It has a huge image of Guru Dorje Drolo. Mats are placed by the wall for those people who might want to sit and contemplate or meditate. There is a cave but it opens only once a year.

the middle level:
After coming out, take your shoes and climb the iron ladder. You will not be returning this way. On the right is a temple of Guru Sungjoen, temple of Guru who speaks, It is said that it started speaking while it was being transported here.

the upper level:
Just in front you see the sign "Temples" with an arrow. Climb to this level and enter the temple room. This temple contains the eight manifestations of the Guru.

Uppermost temple:
Come out and further climb up past the room of butter lamps. There is a huge image of Buddha in the center. On his right side, sits Guru Rinpoche. This temple is dedicated to the protective deity of Taktsang, Singye Samdrup. You see her standing on a tiger with many heads.

Start your descend and on reaching the middle level, turn right. Straight ahead just before the stairs leading to exit is the temple which contains the Kudung stupa of Langchen Pelgyi Singye.  His body is burried deep under the chorten.
There are two doors leading inside. Enter through the left one, you would see many people sticking money in crevices.  Make circumambulation if desired and come out.
The stairs lead outside. There is a small very basic rest room on your way out.

On the left of the entrance, is an image of Yeshe Tsogyal.

Just beside the deity is a sign which says "holy water". It is said that the underground water flows throughout the year even in the dry season.

You can see many plastic bottles near it. Probably devotees like to take the holy water back with them.

As we trace our way back, I look from above to the number of prayer flags fluttering in the evening wind. 

We have been walking for quite some time and I am dreading for a cup of coffee.

We stop by the cafe and the cup of coffee with crackers was heavenly. 

Not trying to miss anything, I click pictures of the monastery from there. It seems quite a distance now.

As we reach near the car park, I look back to the place I had just visited and with a heavy heart, click another picture knowing fully well that I might never visit this enchanting place again.

Few facts:

The monastery got destroyed in 1998 by fire and a lot of priceless paintings and treasure was lost. The reason probably was an electrical short circuit or one of the drapes catching fire from lamps. The renovation was completed in 2005. It must not have been an easy task to carry all the material all the way up.

Some tips from my side:

• Though the trek depends on everyone's physical fitness and also the age, have a good breakfast before your trek, don't over stuff yourself.
• take fruits which you can nibble in between.
• wear comfortable footwear.
• sunscreen is a must even though it may be cloudy.
• drink water only when needed and that too in sips.
• take small steps.
• get used to high altitude, Coca 30x (homeopathic medicine) helps a lot.
• carry an umbrella, it also functions as a walking stick if needed, specially during the descent.
• give way to the mules, you don't want to be hit by them, specially those coming down.
• enjoy your trek, you do not have to set a world record!
• the cafeteria has tea, coffee along with provision for a good meal.
• lastly, most important, preserve the sanctity of the place. Speak softly if needed, devotees pray and meditate there. It can be very disturbing when visitors talk loudly.