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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Bhutan: The Himalayan Kingdom part3


And straws are put into the stacks.





And this is rather unusual art of Bhutan...
The legend has it that Lama Drukpa Kuenlay once put his penis into the mouth of the evil spirit causing his suffocation and death. Later the lama, also known as a Divine Madman, ordered the Bhutanese to draw his penis on their houses to frighten off the evil spirits. This story happened in the 14th century but paintings are still alive. Children are better not to see them...








A wooden sample of penis hanging above the entrance of a house.

Simple sticks lying near the fence by the entrance.



A toilet at a cafe.

The catch of a door.

A holy stream.

Children.

And this is the monastery where the Divine Madman lived.

A beautiful view on the valley.

It is forbidden to take photographs inside the monasteries.


There are some niches around the monastery where the cylinder of happiness is located. You should turn it to become more lucky.



A monk wrapping into his gown.

There are many legends about the Madman in Bhutan. One of them says that he created a mythical animal called a takin. He ate a cow and a goat and then joined the skull of the goat with the bones of the cow.


Several photos made on the way downwards.



The stairs made of a single log.

Cleaning the teeth in the evening.



To get to the monastery of Your Majesty you should walk by this shaky suspension bridge.


Climbing takes about an hour or so.

Cigarettes are forbidden in Bhutan. Most old men chew the mixture of a betelnut, lime and green leaf. After several hours of chewing, the effect similar to that one from chewing tobacco is achieved.





An observation platform on a roof of the monastery.



The top of the temple.

At night it is beautifully illuminated.

And this is the main dzong of Bhutan - the Punakha Dzong.

Punakha had been a capital of Bhutan till 1955 and the dzong was the place of the government sitting at that time.



via sergeydolya

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