During the approach to Tigers Nest, it crossed our minds how nice it would be to fly up to the monastery on the back of a tiger. Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambahva) cheated in this regard- he didn’t have to hike up to the spot of the temple dedicated to him. Paro Taktsang is probably the most famous monastery in Bhutan. It is, as the name indicates, situated like a nest on the side of a cliff. Unlike in the name, however, there are no tigers. This part comes from a story involving the important Himalayan Buddhist figure, Guru Rimpoche.
Perhaps more important religiously than the monastery are the 13 caves in which Guru Rimpoche meditated in for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days in the 8th century. Tigers Nest is one of two major meditation spots of Guru Rimpoche in Bhutan, the other being Kurje Lhakhang. Sometimes referred to as the second buddha, Guru Rimpoche was a Buddhist master who was invited to Tibet to aid in its conversion to Buddhism. According to legend, upon failure to build temples in the region due to the hostility of local dieties, King Trisong Detsen made a plea to Guru Rimpoche to help pacify these demons. In his conquest of the Himalayan region, Padmasambhava is said to have converted the hostile deities to the dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) through a variety of supernatural techniques. In doing so, he redirected the power of the deities to be in favor of Buddhism.
His connection to Tigers Nest comes along with perhaps his most important consort: Yeshe Tsogyal. Given as a gift to Padmasambhava by King Trisong Detsen, Yeshe Tsogyal went on to help discover and record termas (also referred to as “hidden treasures” which represent hidden teachings key to Vajrayana Buddhism) along with her teacher Padmasambhava. In one popular telling of the Tiger’s Nest story, Yeshe Tsogyal is said to have transformed into a tigress and flown with Padmasambhava to the spot of the “tiger’s lair”, or the 13 caves in which Guru Rimpoche meditates. Another popular Bhutanese telling of this story is that rather than Yeshe Tsogyal transforming into a flying tiger, Padmasambhava transforms one of his other disciples and they fly together from Bumthang rather than Tibet.
The establishment of the monastery as seen today – it was destroyed by fire in 1998 and rebuilt in 2005- occurred roughly a millennium later (17th century). Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye is credited with building the original monastery. As the 4th Desi of the Drukpa state (what used to roughly be Bhutan), Ragbye aimed to unify the Administrative regions of what was then Bhutan through means such as building and rebuilding significant structures and carrying traveling celebrations (aims that lead to the monastery’s foundation). He was the first to set up the annual practice of Tsechu, or 10th day celebration: a set of dances and rituals stemming from Padmasambhava. Upon leading one of these famous celebrations in one of the caves in 1692, Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye ordered a monastery to be built at the site. Before Tenzin Ragbye, however, the Shabdrung Rimpoche Ngawang Namgyal – a Tibetan exile and leader who is often regarded as the first unifier of the Drukpa state – desired that a monastery be built at the site in 1644. As with Tenzin Ragbye, Shabdrung Rimpoche got the idea for a monastery as he was performing a version of the Tsechu celebration that his later successor would annualize. During this celebration, which was designed to invoke Padmasambhava and local deities to aid him in his conflict with Tibet, a deity in the form of a black man offered to give him the sacred site. A likely reason for why it took another 5 decades for the monastery to be built is that Shabdrung Rimpoche died in 1651, a fact kept secret to help maintain the unification of the Drukpa state. Given that Tenzin Ragbye was a part of Shabdrung Rimpoche’s original celebration, he felt sentimental towards the spot and was further motivated to build the temple.
Other factors also contributed to the monastery’s foundation in 1692. In Tenzin Ragbye’s biography, it is often difficult to discern the differences between him and Guru Rimpoche. This connection likely helps explain some of the supernatural things that happened when Tenzin Ragbye traveled to Tiger’s Nest. It is said that no one in his party was injured during the treacherous trek up the mountain and that shapes of animals appeared in the sky. Tenzin Ragbye dedicated the temple to Padmasambhava, calling it the “Temple of the Guru with 8 Names”.
Upon its completion, sitting at 10,240 ft in elevation, Paro Taktsang was thought to have been the third highest temple in the world. Some 3,000 feet above the valley in Paro, it is quite an impressive view; both from the temple and looking up at it. Even if the temple itself is younger than many others in the region, the site it sits upon has connections all the way back to the preeminent figure of Vajrayana Buddhism. For Bhutanese, it doubles as a spectacle of a structure and a very important religious site. At the monastery one can perform prostrations in the temple, admire the art which includes heart shaped depictions of the “Copper-Coloured Mountain Paradise of Padmasambahva” – which to me looks a lot like Shangrila – on every thangka and wall, or burn a butter lamp for good wishes. Given its prominence respective of Bhutan as a whole, I’m sure that is a very popular spot for tourists like myself who want to admire the spot for its views and inclusion in Batman.
Having witnessed the rest of Bhutan and its likely trajectory into the globalized world, part of me wondered what a popular site like Tiger’s Nest will look like in 15 or 20 years. Will it, like the rest of Bhutan, attempt to hold on to the value it has as a largely unspoiled country, or will it cater even more to a touristy doctrine seen in many other historical places in the world. On the descent down the mountain, I couldn’t help but have a vision of a cable car running up to the monastery. I know it’s not feasible for Bhutan to remain a country with only one underpass, and maybe it’s wrong to eulogize it as an underdeveloped Shangrila-esque place, but there seems to be something special to living a more rooted existence. Touristy places like Thimphu and Tiger’s Nest are good examples of the juxtaposition between old and new. There is still a noticeable difference between tourists and pilgrims, but it seems now that both are as keen about snapping photos with their smartphones as the other is. I hope that Tiger’s Nest and other holy sites can maintain their religious importance to the people of Bhutan and not become places that are sustained solely by tourism.
Bibliography:
- Ardussi, John A. (1999). “Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye and the Founding of Taktsang Lhakhang” (pdf). Journal of Bhutan Studies. Thimphu: Centre for Bhutan Studies
- Schaik, Sam van. Tibet: A History. Yale University Press 2011, pages 34-5
- Brown, Lindsay; Bradley Mayhew, Stan Armington; Richard Whitecross (2007). Bhutan. Lonely Planet. pp. 129–130
- Ardussi, John (2004). “Formation of the State of Bhutan (‘Brug gzhung) in the 17th Century and its Tibetan Antecedents” (pdf). Journal of Bhutan Studies
- Changchub, Gyalwa; Namkhai Nyingpo (2002). Padmakara Translation Group, ed. Lady of the Lotus-Born: The Life and Enlightenment of Yeshe Tsogyal. Shambhala Publications, Inc. p. xxxvii
Photos:
