Temples, Nunneries, and Monasteries

 What else would one visit in Bhutan?

We visited the Kuenga Rabten nunnery where the nuns talked to us about their unique life.  There are approximately 170 nuns ranging in age from 8 to 80.  Parents sometimes send their daughters to the nunnery for their education, but no one has to stay who does not want to.   As near as I could tell, the nuns' primary activities are prayer and study  The nun who spoke to us had been there for 30 years and was a teacher.  I asked her what she taught and she replied:  philosophy and poetry.  I don't think she teaches the same philosophy that I once studied.

Kuenga Rabten sits on top of a mountain with a beautiful view but the buildings have developed cracks and are no longer safe.  The recent construction of a hydroelectric dam involved building tunnels under the mountain.  So the nunnery is now in the process of building on a new site a few miles away.

Jambay Lhakhang is one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, dating back to 659 CE.  (Lhakhang is another name for a Buddhist temple in the Himalayas.)  At that time, a giant demoness had laid down across Bhutan to prevent the spread of Buddhism, so King Songtsen Gampo ordered that temples be built over her various body parts which somehow allowed Buddhism to flourish.  Jambey Lhakhang was built over her left knee.  The inside, like all of the temples we have visited, has a giant Buddha in front flanked by smaller Buddhas, and the walls are painted with murals.

At some point later, Guru Rinpoche came here and meditated for years, curing the illness of the king.  So a short walk from the temple, we visited Kurjey Lankhang, a monastery that houses the cave where Guru Rinpoche meditated.

Jambay Lhakhang is most famous for the four day dance festival that is held on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month each year, and our visit was timed to attend this festival.  The dancers wear colorful costumes and masks on their heads.  We attended on the first evening of the festival for the fire ceremony.  First, the performers dance around a bonfire in the courtyard of the temple.  Then, the entire crowd goes to a field where a wooden archway is set afire and people run through it, trying not to get burned.

The next day we did not return to the large festival but attended a smaller one at Prakhar Lhakhang.  As we approached the temple, we were met by costumed performers who seem to be clowns.  They walk among the audience joking with people, and also wander among the dancers.

Before the performance began, we went inside to watch the dancers preparing their costumes by draping their masks and hats with interwoven ribbons of material.  The sacred Cham dances impart moral lessons, cleanse negative energy, and celebrate the triumph of good over evil.  They took place in a small courtyard that we could sit in for a front row seat.

First, the two ox dancers "cleansed" the courtyard.  The famous Black Hat dance reenacts the death of the anti-Buddhist King.  Finally, the dance of the Eight Manifestations of Guru Rinpoche.

While we were watching the dances, we were served tea, water, and food.

On our last day in central Bhutan, we traveled to the Ura Valley to visit the Sombrang Monastery.  Founded in the 1200s, this monastery is headed by a hereditary Dungzin.  The current Dungzin, Sonam Nyenda, was a scholar and professor who was working on a PhD at the University of Virginia when his father died.  He came back to head the monastery although he is not a monk.  Sonam Nyenda talked to us a great length about his background and the work of the monastery.  He also demonstrated the monastery's collection of dance costumes and masks, and a second collection of relics from previous Dungzins and lamas.

After the Dungzin's talk, we were treated to lunch in the courtyard.