TRAVELLING THROUGH BHUTAN-TAKTSHANG, PARO

I have been to Paro and I find it very beautiful…I love going there as often as possible. Somehow I find Paro very calm and it makes me feel at home, although I don’t have a home there ^_^ anyways there are lots of important sites that can be seen in Paro. It has the first airport in Bhutan (National airport) and the first National museum (Ta Dzong). It also has lots of important religious places and I will be honest, I haven’t visited them all. But today I ll talk about the most phenomenal place in Paro and which I visited twice (aiming for minimum of third visit), Taktshang!

Taktshang is named so since it is believed that Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rimpoche)  flew into the cave riding on a tigress, Taktshang means tiger’s nest in Dzongkha (my national language). It is said that Guru Rinpoche took the form of Guru Dorji Drolo (one of the eight manifestations of Guru Rinpoche) to subdue the demons in that cave. The cliff on which Taktshang stand resembles the face of Phurpa (Vajrakila), the ritual dagger. And I have seen the picture of it myself at Taktshang but sadly I don’t have it here.

http://www.exoticindiaart.co.in/product/sculptures/vajrakila-phurpa-RG08/   

Taktshang was first built in 1692 by the fourth Druk Desi Tenzin Rabgye (ruler of the country in the earlier centuries). It is believed that the walls constructed during the day were destroyed at night by the local demons so Desi Tenzin Rabgye cut off his hair and mixed it with the mud and used it in the construction, this stopped the demons and the construction was carried out smoothly. Taktshang caught fire (due to short circuit) in 1998 and it was restored in 2005 under the leadership of the fourth king, Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

It is an uphill climb of one and half hour to two hours and one hour to one and half hour downhill (depending on the individual). The way to Taktshang is never deserted, there are people seen going towards Taktshang almost everyday. It is The walk was really tiring but it was worth it when we saw the Taktshang Dzong. 

It looks so magnificent and we believed in magic because it is impossible to build a structure in such a location...esp in those times when the country lacked technology.

As a kid, my parents used to tell me that the angels helped in constructing Taktshang Dzong and when I saw it I believed it...

There are small huts on the way to Takthang (opposite to it) where monks and other interested people come for meditations. And personally it is a really nice place to relax, meditate and cleanse our minds. 

Photography is strictly prohibited inside the Dzong so sadly I cant show you how beautiful it is in the inside...I wish I could because the views from inside the Dzong and the Lhakhangs inside the Dzongs are all so unique and beautiful. There is an underground cave within one of the Lhakhangs where Guru Rinpoche did his meditation...it was superb. 
The following are the pictures taken throughout the walk towards Taktshang.

My Friend's back view while climbing up

View of Taktshang from half way

This prayer wheel is more or less like the half way from the end of the vehicle road till Taktshang

A monk returning to Taktshang after some grocery shopping at Paro

View of Paro from above

Scary location of Taktshang

This is the place is called as Singye phug (Lion's cave), this is where Khandro Yeshe Tshogyal (consort of Guru Rimpoche) meditated 

Inside the Singye Phug

View of the stairs from the huts till the actual Taktshang Dzong from the Singye Phug

The entrance to the Dzong and there is a small cave within which lies a spring water

We offer butter lamps here, on the way to the Dzong, somewhere on the long way of staircase