After breakfast we drove to Paro which is 65 Kms from Thimpu and took us almost 1.5 hrs. Jumbo quickly turned off the car stereo the moment he saw a funeral procession approaching from the opposite end. What a wonderful way of showing respect to the departed soul.
Tiger's Nest - a panoramic view
Once we were in Paro we headed for Taktsang Monastery, also known as ‘Tiger’s Nest’ at an altitude of 3000 mts. The climb up to the viewpoint which is almost half way will take around 3 hours and from there a spectacular view of the monastery can be seen clinging to the side of the cliff. From there, a steep climb upto the hilltop, then deep into the gorge, and then to the next hilltop comprising of 700 steps will finally lead to the monastery, which will take about 1 hour. It is said that in the 8th century Guru Rinpoche flew on the back of a tigress from eastern Bhutan to this place and meditated in a cave here for 3 months. There have been shrines at this sacred place for many
Weary trekkers to Tiger's Nest
centuries. The principal Lhakhang (monastery) of the present monastic complex dates from 1692. Taktsang was damaged severely by fire in 1998 but has now been fully restored to its former beauty. Ponies are available for ride. For those who want to climb on foot, it is advisable to take hiking sticks available at the foothill. The monastery timings are Apr-Oct 8am to 6pm, Nov-Mar 8am to 5pm. 1pm to 2pm is the lunch time. Halfway down the hill, there is a cafeteria where we had our lunch.
Indispensable Trekking Stick
On the way back, we visited Kichu temple, one of the 108 temples built in the 7th century by the Tibetan King Songsten Gampo. The story goes that a giant demon lay across the whole area of Tibet and the Himalayas and was preventing the spread of Buddhism. To overcome her, King Songtsen Gampo decided to build 108 temples, which
Kichu Temple
would be placed on all the points of her body. Of these 108 temples, 12 were built in accordance with precise plans. Thus, it happened that in about the year AD 638 the temple of Jokhang in Lhasa was built over the very heart of the demon.
After a long and tiring day, we checked into our resort and refreshed ourselves with a cup of hot coffee.
Ugyen Resort-Paro
The resort was only 20 minutes drive from Paro airport ( the only one in Bhutan) and our room had a panoramic view of Tiger’s Nest and Mt Jomolhari – the highest mountain peak of Bhutan. The other speciality of this resort is that the whole show is managed by a group of young and dynamic girls moving around with broad smiles in their bright colored Kira. The overall structure of the resort is designed to provide a distinctive Bhutanese life style with an impeccable ambience of peace, spelling the very essence of Gross National Happiness.
Togetherness
Recent Comments