After lunch at Thimphu, I started the drive to Haa Valley. The shorter road is to Haa Valley is under maintenance. Instead, we are driving to Haa valley through Paro and Chelela Pass (3988 M). The drive is a very scenic. Chelela is well above the tree line. In winter, this road is closed due to heavy snowfall. After Chelela pass, the road descents sharply into Haa Valley below.
Black Goemba
Until the end of the 1950’s, Bhutan’s main trading partner was the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim. Those days, Sikkim was an independent country and not a part of the Union of India. The main international road to Bhutan passed from the Kingdom of Sikkim through Haa valley and onwards to Paro. When the first PM of India, Mr. Nehru, visited Bhutan, he had taken the route through Ha Valley to Paro. Once the road to India through Phoenshoeling opened up, Haa valley lost its significance as a trading town.
Exquisite art work on the exterior of this house
It’s late when I reach Haa Valley. I’m staying at the Rigsum Resort. This gorgeous resort is located in the countryside. It has started raining. When I’m having dinner, the owner of the Rigsum Resort came over. We start talking. He was a native of Haa valley. He told me that Haa valley, like the rest of Bhutan, has changed a lot. He gave me the example of archery, Bhutan’s national sport. As a kid he had not even heard about women playing archery. Today, many women archers are better than men! Even the road that connects Thimphu to Haa Valley is new addition. In the old days, it was a trail for pack animals. The trip from Paro to Haa that took me a few hours would easily take a few days. His grandmother was pregnant when she was walking from Haa valley to Paro. She delivered the baby on the road and carried it home! People have become brittle with the modern amenities and conveniences, he told me. I can’t agree more. He was quite surprised at this year’s weather. The winter this year was quite mild with scanty snowfall. But spring hasn’t arrived yet. It’s still snowing in the mountains. I told him about the weather during the Dagala (1000 lakes) trek. (Click here) When I go to bed, it’s still drizzling.
Wangtsa Goemba (monastery)
I get up early next morning. I am out of my room by 6 AM. It cloudy, but thankfully it’s not raining. There is a village road that goes uphill beyond my hotel. I hike up this road. It’s a narrow tarmac road with farms on either side. The walk is extremely beautiful. After walking about 10 minutes, I reach the first set of houses. Rural Bhutan with it’s traditional architecture is drop dead gorgeous. As I loiter around taking a few pictures, a dog comes out from one of the houses. It’s barking at me and I’m hesitant to proceed further. I can see a small Goemba (monastery) on the mountain. It’s probably the village monastery and I really want to go there. I wait on the road hoping that the dog will go away, but it doesn’t. Soon an elderly lady arrived. She too was walking up the road. I try to talk to her, but she speaks only Bhutanese. She understood what I was trying to tell her and signaled me to follow her. As we approached, the dog ran away.
2 storied mud house
We walk together for about 10 minutes. The road ends here. The elderly woman waved goodbye and walked off to her house. There are about 7-8 houses here. One of them is a stunning 2 storied mud house. The monastery that I want to visit is very close to where I’m standing, but I don’t know how to get there. As I wait pondering what to do, a farmer carrying a huge bundle of fresh grass on his back arrived there. He started speaking to me in fluent English! He pointed to the narrow path that leads to the monastery. He also advised me to carry a stick; in case I’m troubled by dogs. It’s a short walk to the monastery. The narrow winding path to the monastery is lined by traditional houses on either side.
He directed me to Wangtsa Goemba
The village monastery is called Wangtsa. It’s a modest yet beautiful Goemba. I circumambulate the monastery. The entrance to the monastery is through the first floor. I wait beside the steps leading to the first floor, not knowing what to do. Perhaps it’s offensive for outsiders to enter the Goemba; I don’t know and there isn’t anyone to ask. As I wait beside the steps, a monk come out from the prayer room. He’s really surprised to see me. He waves his hand signaling me to come up.
The monk takes me into the prayer room. The prayer room of the monastery is very beautiful. There are wonderful paintings on the walls. In the display cabinets are many statues. Like all the other monasteries, photography is not permitted in the shrine room. As this is a village Goemba, there is only one monk residing here. He resides in a room adjacent to the prayer hall. The monk signalled me to wait and he walked out.
Bone flute
As I look around, I spot something that I have only read about. A flute made from bone. I sneakily take a picture on my mobile before the monk came back. He returned with 2 cups of tea; one for me and one for himself. He sat down on a floor cushion beside the ritual drum and started chanting. I also sat on the wooden floor beside him sipping tea and listening to the mesmerising chants. It’s so peaceful that I don’t want to leave. But I have a schedule to keep. After a while, I pay my respects to the monk and return to my hotel.
When I am having breakfast, the owner of the hotel came in. I tell him about my little morning escapade. He is really surprised that I visited Wangtsa monastery. Village monasteries like this hardy get any tourists. Even my guide has not visited Wangtsa monastery. The hotel owner told me that I’m quite blessed to have received the cup of tea from the monk. After breakfast, I check out from the hotel and proceed to Llakhang Karpo or White monastery.
Llakhang Karpo or White Goemba
Llakhang Karpo is among the oldest monasteries in Bhutan. It is perhaps the most popular tourist spot of Haa Valley. Thankfully, there are only a handful of tourists at the monastery today. The monastery complex is quite big. A large number of monks reside here. A group of kiddo monks seated on the stone floor of the monastery. They are practicing a traditional instrument called Jaling. Jaling can be described as a miniature flute. The kiddo monks would intermittently blow the flute into a small plastic bottle filled with water. My guide explained that this was to help them control their breath while playing the Jaling. The kiddo monks were quite a naughty bunch. They were fighting and throwing stones at each other. The funniest moment was watching of a kiddo monk banging a notebook on his friends head!! (See video) Kids will be kids!
Llakhang Karpo or White Goemba
I enter the main shrine room. It’s a large room with numerous statues. But the main deity here is Buddha Amritayus, the Buddha of longevity. The walls are beautifully decorated with religious art. Photography is prohibited in the shrine room. Preparations were underway in the prayer room for some occasion. I make a small offering and come out.
History of Llakhang Nagpo
Llakhang Nagpo (Black monastery) is a stone throw away from the white monastery. In fact, there is a path to black monastery through the rear gate of white monastery. Llakhang Nagopo is much smaller than Llakhang Karpo. At the entrance to the black monastery, is a printout explaining the history of the temple. Since it’s quite interesting, II am typing it in full!
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Llakhang Nagpo (black temple) is among the 108 monasteries built in one day by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. Four temples among the 108 temples were built in Bhutan. 1 in Paro, 1 in Bhumthang and 2 here in Haa valley.
Llakhang Nagpo (black goemba)
The Dharma king of Tibet sent 2 birds, a white and a black towards Haa valley and the place where the black bird landed is here, where the temple is located. After the temple was built, it was named Llakhang Nagpo (black temple) as it was built on the site where the black bird had landed. The Llakhang is built on a lake. An opening in the floor of the temple provides an access to the lake underneath the temple.
In Bhutan, phallus is a good luck charm
The main Buddha statue in this temple exactly looks like the Buddha statue in the temple in Lhasa in Tibet which was built by the same king in the same time.
According to old scriptures, builders of white and black temples suddenly appeared from the hills behind the temple. So then, the valley was named Haa later on which means ‘suddenly appeared’.
Monk at White Goemba
It is also said that the builders then settled near the white temple called Dumcho and then slowly their families started settling in different directions and places in Haa. So we believe that Dumcho village is the first villages in Haa Valley.
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I step into the prayer room of black monastery. A Buddhist ceremony is in progress. 2 monks and about 10 nuns are chanting prayers. Since the prayer room is quite small, I sit down on the wooden floor close to the nuns. I am the only person here, apart from the monks. Listening to the chants is very calming. During the prayer, the monks are served fruit. I am also given a piece of the same fruit. After the monks ate their fruit, the prayers resumed. Later, the monks are, once again, offered something else to eat. In a small bowl, I am also given what the monks are having. It’s lip smacking delicious! My guide later told me later that the sweet dish is called Dressi. It’s prepared only on special occasions with saffron, nuts, sugar, resins, sugar and special rice.
Shoes outside a monk's room \ at White Goemba
The prayer continued for a little longer. Once the prayers got over, I waited for the monks and nuns to leave the prayer room. Then a monk came up to me and started talking to me in Hindi. He explained that the today was an extremely auspicious day in the Buddhist calendar. The special prayers that I attended were dedicated Avalokiteshwara, the Buddha of compassion. The Dressi that I ate towards the closing prayers was today’s prasadam. After the prayers get over, the monks and nuns will have an early lunch followed by a 24 hour fast. During the fast, they will not eat anything, but are allowed to drink water. The monk told me that he was absolutely certain that I am karmically connected with Bhutan and Buddhism. Blessings from Avalokiteshwara and the chief Abott of Bhutan (Click here) during this trip. Not bad!
He misses his Malayali friends!
It’s a short drive from Black Goemba to Haa ‘town center’. It’s a picturesque little town. 5 minutes is all it takes to walk from one end of the town center to the other! As I was walking around Haa town center, an elderly person in traditional attire shouted out to me from the first floor. In fluent English, he asked me where I had come from. When I replied Kerala, he immediately told me a long list of his Malayali friends. I’m flabbergasted. He also added that his friends had returned to Kerala after they retired. He was bit sad that he had lost touch with them. In times gone by, many Malayali’s came to Bhutan looking for employment. Many found work as teachers and were held in high esteem. On my first travel to Bhutan, I was often mistaken for a schoolteacher. One of the people I encountered during that trip told me that every Bhutanese person, including the king, has been taught a Malayali teacher at some point in his life. Not sure if it’s true anymore!
Arrows for sale at this shop in Haa Town Centre
There are many old fashioned shops at Haa City Centre. At the end of the row of shops is a modern building. On the first floor is the post office. I bought a few Bhutanese postage stamps. I look around for local post cards but I am told that they are unavailable here. The shops don’t stock it as Haa valley receives very few tourists compared to Paro or Thimphu. I have lunch at a small shop. Then it was back to Paro via Chelela Pass.
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