Land of the ribald monk

Ranjit Powar

Have you have ever heard of a monk who got away with, neigh, worshipped for celebration of carnal pleasures banned in most religions? One such lucky maverick monk was Drupka Kunley, who is credited with bringing Buddhism from Tibet to Bhutan. Drupka Kunley used unconventional and blasphemous methods to teach an ultra-liberal form of Buddhism to the common man, very much at odds with the austere monastic Buddhism. He indulged freely in wine and women and also came to be known as “The saint of 5000 women”. “Happiness”, he is quoted to have said, “lies at the bottom of the wine pail and below the navel”. 

He came to be known as a Divine Madman for his extraordinary antics and has been worshipped as a fertility deity and a protector against evil in a deeply superstitious Bhutanese society. The Divine Madman is symbolised with a phallus, which is a totem of the “Thunderbolt of Flaming Wisdom’ and considered to be a potent charm against lurking evil. Many houses in Bhutan depict huge, unabashed images of male penises on their outer walls, and also display carved wooden icons of erect phalluses in various colours and styles. You can also find these being sold in many shops, and there is no embarrassment about them. 

The folklore of this merry madman leads one to Chimi Lhakhang, the fertility temple situated on the outskirts of the city of Punakha, built in 1499 in dedication to Drupka Kunley. According to popular legend, the monk destroyed and buried a dog demoness at this spot. Visitors to the Chimi Lhakhang temple park their vehicles at Sopsokha village, which has come up with a couple of cheerful shops selling all forms and sizes of brightly painted wooden phalluses, Bhutanese Thangkha panels and gemstones for the tourist and a small eatery. 

A long, ascending trek over uneven boulders lies between the village and the Fertility Temple. It is a charming path through resplendent green paddy fields and open countryside, but can be rather daunting for the aged and the weak. Hawkers selling cheap gemstone jewellery, scarves and local knickknacks squat on sides of the path, and little children try to sell small handmade lucky charms. The tedious climb to the hilltop proves worthwhile when one reaches the top to look at the serene, old temple with a beautiful, white, brown and golden facade. There is a huge prayer wheel before one climbs up to a stone-tiled platform. A hoary old banyan tree stands grandly in the centre of a paved courtyard, its leaves swaying gently to the breeze. A black Chorten under which the Divine Madman is said to have trapped the dog-demoness also stands here. One enters the stupa and temple hall to see many phallus symbols displayed on the walls through paintings and carvings.

Inside the centre of the hall stands a large statue of Padmasambhava on an altar, along with the Divine Madman next to it. The temple houses the original 10 inch wooden phallus decorated with a silver handle, supposed to be brought from Tibet by the monk and still used to bless visitors who throng the temple to be blessed with a child or merely to pay obeisance. The tradition is to strike pilgrims on the head with this phallus totem to bestow a child to an aspiring couple and drive away the evil eye and malice.

The child monks playing outside the monastery give it a feeling of good cheer and one can almost fathom the wistfulness of faith in the eyes of couples praying to the Divine Madman.

Fact File

Getting there: Drive to Punakha from Paro or Thimpu.

Best time to visit: March to May, September to November. It is a good idea to visit while entering or leaving Punakha.

Handy tip: An additional permit is needed to visit Punakha, which can be obtained from Thimpu.