Posted On: April 28, 2022 | By: adminadmin
Chimi Lhakhang | Fertility Temple in Punakha
Chimi Lhakhang also known as the Fertility Temple is a Buddhist monastery in the district of Punakha famous for miracles and marvels. It was established in 1499 by the 14th Drukpa hierarch, Ngawang Choegyel, on a round hillock near Lobesa, after the location was consecrated by the “Divine Madman,” the maverick saint Drukpa Kunley (1455–1529), who built a chorten on the site after subduing a demon that was troubling the valley.
Visiting the fertility temple
Those who are unable to conceive and childless couples undertake the trek in the hopes of receiving a blessing, from a Buddhist monk and his ‘magic thunderbolt of wisdom’.Drukpa Kunley was a Bhutanese yogi and poet renowned as “the Divine Madman” for abandoning the monastic life of a monk in favor of a more cheerful and enjoyable way of life. His goal was to illustrate that being enlightened, imparting enlightenment, and having a very healthy sex life is feasible, and that celibacy was not required to be enlightened.
In addition, he intended to broaden the range of methods for imparting enlightenment while also introducing new evolutionary possibilities to the overall tradition. He is credited with introducing phallus paintings to Bhutan, as well as the practice of putting statues of them on rooftops to ward off evil spirits.
The original wooden phallus emblem that Drukpa Kunley brought from Tibet is kept at the monastery. This wooden phallus has a silver handle and is used to bless pilgrims who come to the monastery, especially women seeking blessings to have children. Women who come to the temple seeking to conceive are required to carry a wooden phallus three times around the temple, for this women from around the world visit this monastery in hope to be blessed with a child.
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