Chimi Lakhang is a Buddhist monastery in the Punakha area, Bhutan. The monastery was built near the settlement of Lobes on a round hill 14 by Drukpa- hierarch Ngawang Chogyal by the blessing of Drukpa Kunle , who installed a stupa on the hill.
| Monastery | |
| Chimi lakhang | |
|---|---|
| Chimi lhakhang | |
 | |
| A country |  Butane |
| Isle | Lobes, Punakha |
| Denomination | Tibetan Buddhism |
| Founder | Ngawang Chögyal, Drukpa Künle |
| Established | 1499 |
The monastery is located 20 km from Punakha near the village of Sopsokha. The road to Chimi Lakhang, passing by the fields, is decorated with prayer flags . All buildings in the village have an image of an erect phallus on themselves [1] . Lama Künle called the hill on which the monastery is located female breasts due to the similarity of forms [2] .
According to the myth, Drukpa Künle defeated the demoness Docha La at this place with his “magic lightning of wisdom”, sharpening it in the rock on which he installed the stupa [2] .
Phallic Symbolism
Lama Künle was called “Sacred Madnessbeard” for non-standard methods of teaching Buddhism, resorting to unexpected tricks involving sexuality , rude jokes and depraved- magic actions [3] . He began the tradition of painting phalluses on the walls and roofs of houses.
According to myths, Drukpa Künle beat demons with his penis , turning them in this way into the protectors of people [4] . According to legend, the image of the phallus drives away evil spirits and deflects the evil eye .
The monastery has several phalluses, among which there is also a 25-centimeter brown wooden phallus with a silver handle, brought by Drukpa Kunle from Tibet . The phalluses, and in particular the relic of Drukpa Künle, are used to bless the visitors of the monastery [4] , for which the abbot gently hits the supplicant on the head with a relic. Such a blessing is called wang . Childless women make a pilgrimage to Chimi Lakhang in the hope of having children [2] . Every year, a festival is held in the monastery, where women come who want to have children [5] .
Building Structure
The small monastery, square in plan, is crowned with a golden spire . The roof of the building is painted yellow. The monastery has a number of prayer drums . The exterior walls are decorated with carved wooden panels depicting saints .
Near the entrance is a stupa, marking the very place where Lama Künle imprisoned a demoness [6] . It is believed that the lama himself made and installed this stupa.
The prayer room, located on the side, is tantric style, decorated with tanks , it contains bells, drums, horns. In the center of the hall at the altar there is a statue of Lama Künle in monastic attire, and next to it is a ceramic statue of his dog Sakhi. The monastery also worships images of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal , Sakyamuni and Avalokiteshvara .
Women asking for the birth of children make a pilgrimage to the monastery, where they are blessed with the phalluses of Lama Künle from ivory, wood and bone. Also, pregnant women come to the monastery to find out the name of the unborn child, for this they draw randomly from a pile of bamboo tablets located at the altar, on which various female and male names are written [2] .
The walls of the monastery are decorated with frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Drukpa Künle.
Notes
- ↑ Beatrice Sonntag. Bhutan entdecken: Reiseführer durch das Land des Glücks . - Books on Demand, 2014-10-23. - 111 p. - ISBN 9783735752468 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Lindsay Brown, Bradley Mayhew, Stan Armington, Richard W. Whitecross. Bhutan. Ediz. Inglese . - Lonely Planet, 2007-01-01. - S. 145. - 297 p. - ISBN 9781742203140 .
- ↑ Boris Kester. Chimi Lhakhang | Sopsokha | Travel Story and Pictures from Bhutan . www.traveladventures.org. Date of treatment November 5, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 BBC NEWS | South asia | Bhutan's phalluses warn off evil . news.bbc.co.uk. Date of treatment November 5, 2016.
- ↑ Michael Kimmel, Christine Milrod, Amanda Kennedy. Cultural Encyclopedia of the Penis . - Rowman & Littlefield, 2014-09-26. - S. 24. - 263 p. - ISBN 9780759123144 .
- ↑ Philip Parker. Himalaya: The Exploration and Conquest of the Greatest Mountains on Earth . - Anova Books, 2012-11-30. - 347 p. - ISBN 9781844862382 .