Punakha Dzong and the Mo Chhu

Punakha (Tibetan alphabet: སྤུ་ན་ཁ་) is the administrative centre of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu. It is about 72 km away from Thimphu and it takes about 3 hours by car from the capital Thimphu. Unlike Thimphu it is quite warm in winter and hot in summer. It is located at an elevation of 1,200 metres above sea level and rice is grown as the main crop along the river valleys of two main rivers of Bhutan, the Pho Chu and Mo Chu. Dzongkha is widely spoken in this district.

Pungthang Dewachen Gi Phodrang[link]

Pungthang Dewachen Gi Phodrang in Punakha and Jacaranda trees

Pungthang Dewachen Phodrang (Palace of Great Happiness) or Punakha Dzong was constructed by Tuebi Zaow Balip under the great command of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1637 and believed to have been completed in two years of time period. It is also the country's most beautiful Dzong.It is the winter residence of Bhutan's Central Monastic Body led by HH the Je Khenpo. The Dzong houses the most sacred relics of the Southern Drukpa Kagyu school including the Rangjung Kasarpani, and the sacred remains of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and Terton Padma Lingpa.

Punakha Dzong.

In 1907, Punakha Dzong was the site of the coronation of Ugyen Wangchuck as the first King of Bhutan. Three years later, a treaty was signed at Punankha whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs.

In 1987, the dzong was partially destroyed by fire.

Due to its location at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers in the Punakha-Wangdue valley, the dzong is vulnerable to flash flooding caused by glacier lakes (GLOF). According to a recent report, flash flood damage to Punakha Dzong occurred in 1957, 1960 and 1994.^[1] Currently (March 2010) work is in progress to protect the dzong from future flood damage by deepening the river channels and raising the embankments using four large steam shovels.

A covered wooden cantilever bridge crossing the Mo Chhu river was built together with the Dzong in the 17th century. This bridge was washed away by a flash flood in 1957 or 1958. In 2006 work started on a new covered wooden cantilever bridge of traditional construction with a free span of 55 meters which was completed in 2008 with the help from the Germans.^[2]

Ritsha Village, Punakha[link]

Punakha valley is famous in Bhutan for rice farming. Both red and white rice are grown along the river valley of Pho and Mo Chu, two of the most prominent rivers in Bhutan. Ritsha (meaning at the base of a hill) is a typical village in Punakha. The village houses are made of pounded mud with stone foundations. Each house is only two storeys high. Surrounding the houses are the gardens and the rice fields. The gardens also usually have fruit bearing plants like oranges and papaya among the organic vegetables. In the recent years, the farming work is mechanized and power-tillers instead of bullocks are used to plough the fields and villagers have become relatively prosperous. This is a model rice growing village in western Bhutan.

See also[link]

• Dzong architecture
• Driglam Namzha
• Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal

References[link]

External links[link]

• Inside information about Punakha Dzong
• Pictures of Punakha Dzong on Flickr
• Photo gallery of Punakha Dzong (Nov 2005)
• Photos of Punakha Dzong
• Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal at the Dharma Dictionary

Coordinates: 27°37′N 89°52′E / 27.617°N 89.867°E / 27.617; 89.867

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Kunga Legpai Zangpo (1455 - 1529), was also known by other names such as Drukpa Kunley, Drukpa Kunleg (Tibetan: འབྲུག་པ་ཀན་ལེགས་, Wylie: 'brug pa kun legs), and "The Divine Madman of the Dragon Lineage" Kunga Legpa (Tibetan: འབྲུག་སྨྱོན་ཀུན་དགའ་ལེགས་པ་, Wylie: 'brug smyon kun dga' legs pa). He was a great master of Mahamudra in the Buddhist tradition, as well as being a famous poet.^[1]

Biography[link]

Drukpa Kunley was born into the branch of the noble Gya (Tibetan: རྒྱ, Wylie: rgya) clan of Ralung in the Tsang region of western Tibet, which was descended from Lhabum (lha 'bum), the second eldest brother of Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje. His father was Nang So Rin Chen Bzang Po. He was the nephew of Gyalwang Kunga Paljor. Father of Ngawang Tenzin and Zhingkyong Drukdra. Established Chimi Lhakhang (khyii med lha khang), near Punakha (spung thang) in 1499.

He was known for his crazy methods of enlightening other beings, mostly women, which earned him the title "The Saint of 5,000 Women". Women would seek his blessing in the form of sex. However, the female consort had/has an important (albeit secret) role in many monasteries in the East. Thangka paintings illustrate sexual positions and some of the rituals that must accompany the actions.

Visitors to Drukpa Kunley's monastery in Bhutan are welcome, but the visit requires a long uphill walk from the road. The monastery is very modest, only one smallish building, but it contains a wood-and-ivory lingam through which one can obtain blessings from the monk in residence.^{[citation needed]}.

Poems and songs of Drukpa Kunley[link]

Poem about happiness

I am happy that I am a free Yogi.

So I grow more and more into my inner happiness.

I can have sex with many women,

because I help them to go the path of enlightenment.

Outwardly I'm a fool

and inwardly I live with a clear spiritual system.

Outwardly, I enjoy wine, women and song.

And inwardly I work for the benefit of all beings.

Outwardly, I live for my pleasure

and inwardly I do everything in the right moment.

Outwardly I am a ragged beggar

and inwardly a blissful Buddha.

Song about the pleasure

A young woman finds pleasure in love. A young man finds pleasure in sex. An old man finds pleasure in his memoirs. This is the doctrine of the three pleasures.

Who does not know the truth, is confused. Those who have no goals, can not sacrifice. Those who have no courage, can not be a Yogi. This is the doctrine of the three missing things.

Even if a person knows the way of wisdom; without practicing there is no realization. Even if a master shows you the way, you have to go it by yourself.

The five spiritual ways

I practice the path of self-discipline. I meditate every day.

I go the way of embracing love. I work as a mother and father of all beings.

I do the deity yoga. I visualize myself as a Buddha in the cosmic unity.

I read the books of all religions and practice all at the right moment.

The life is my teacher and my inner wisdom is my guide.^[2]

Main teachers[link]

• Gyalwang Drukpa II, Gyalwang Kunga Paljor ('brug chen kun dga' dpal 'byor) 1428-1476
• Lhatsun Kunga Chökyi Gyatso (lha btsun kun dga' chos kyi rgya mtsho) 1432-1505
• Pema Lingpa (padma gling pa) 1445-1521

Main lineages[link]

• Drukpa Kagyu

Alternate names[link]

• Drukpa Kunleg / Drukpa Kuenle

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Yonten Dargey, History of the Drukpa Kagyud School in Bhutan, Thimphu, 2001. ISBN 99936-616-0-0. pp 91-110.
• Keith Dowman, The Divine Madman. ISBN 0-913922-75-7.
• Stein, R. A. (1972). Tibetan Civilization. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-08-470901-7 (pbk).