Paro Taktsang is a Buddhist monastery located in the upper Paro valley of Bhutan (2018)
Also known as the Taktsang Palphug Monastery and the Tiger's Nest, it is located in the cliffside of a mountain, around a cave where Guru Padmasambhava is believed to have meditated and practiced Vajrayana Buddhism in the early 9th century. The monastery was built in 1692 by 4th Druk Desi Tenzin Rabgey.
Photographer: Nina R
Exterior building Painter final boss
Bamboo scaffolding, no safety harnesses. Eek.
The tiger in question was the guru's consort, who transformed into a tiger and flew him there. His shrine is full of gold objects & venerated. Hers is round the corner from his, rather small and dim. It's a beautiful place, looong walk to get there but worth the effort.
You've visited? What was your impression overall? Bhutan is an idle fascination of mine. The willing abdication of the previous monarch, top-down initiated democracy, the Gross National Happiness concept, etc. it's all incredibly interesting to me.
I lived there for 6 months. It's interesting. If you get the chance definitely do it. A week or 2 as a tourist is fun, but even 8 years later I'm not sure if I'd live there again.
Any particular reason? I don't mean to pester, and if you're not comfortable sharing, I'll press no further. However, like I said, it's an idle fascination of mine, and this is the first time I've come across someone with firsthand experience 'in the wild', as it were.
I know that theres a legacy of oppression that is frequently hushed behind the monarchy's foreign investment solicitations, and the majority of the population remains poor and isolated, both of which I can imagine being problematic.
The 2 tier system really bothered me. Lhotsampa not being allowed to have passports or bank accounts is fucked up. Also, living there was just rough. It's really a developing country. Frequent power outages, and buying things was hard. For example, the vegetable market was only open Friday through Sunday.
That walk is so brutal, even if you hire a pony for the first half. I have no clue how the old people manage to do it weekly.