Chimi Lhakhang, Buddhist monastery in Punakha, Bhutan.
Chimi Lhakhang is a Buddhist temple located on a hillock surrounded by rice fields, featuring a golden spire entrance and white walls decorated with traditional Buddhist motifs. The building sits prominently in the agricultural landscape, framed by prayer flags and the rhythm of the farming community around it.
This temple was established in 1499 by Ngawang Choegyel, the 14th Drukpa hierarch, and includes a meditation hall constructed by the Buddhist master Drukpa Kunley. The founding represents a significant moment in the spiritual development of the Punakha region.
The temple houses wooden phallus symbols and prayer wheels that visitors encounter throughout the space, reflecting local spiritual practices. These objects sit alongside traditional religious paintings and statues of important masters, shaping how people experience the place today.
Visitors reach the temple through roughly a 20-minute walk from Sopsokha village across agricultural fields marked with prayer flags and traditional houses. The path winds through active farmland, so comfortable footwear is important and the drier months offer the most pleasant conditions for the walk.
Resident monks perform fertility blessing rituals using a wooden phallus object brought from Tibet, creating a distinctive spiritual practice that draws visitors seeking such blessings. This unusual ceremony remains a defining feature that sets the place apart from other temples in the region.
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