Dodeydrak Monastery

November 09, 2023

Dodeydrak Monastery

Dodeydrak Monastery (or Dodeydra Monastery) is a remote monastery located on the mountains near Thimphu. There are 2 separate trails to reach the monastery. I am using the easier path that starts from Dechencholing Goemba. The second trail is shorter, but steeper. I plan to return through the steeper path.

Monk going to the prayer room

After finishing the 5 day Dagala Trek in the morning, I returned to Thimphu. (Click here for full Dagala Trek) I’m set off for Dodeydrak Monastery after a quick lunch at Thimphu. It’s a short drive from Thimphu to Dechencholing Goemba. The hike to Dodeydrak Monastery starts right beside the Dechencholing Goemba. By 2 PM, I started the hike. The trail to the monastery is through the pristine wilderness is well maintained. As we walk up higher, the whole of Thimphu comes into view. From this vantage point, the rapid growth of the capital city is visible. After walking about an hour, I spot a monk sitting by himself. Beside him is a football ground exclusively for the monk. The monks come here once a week to play football! I wish I could have seen them play!

On the right is the football ground for
monks from Dodeydrak Monastery

Beyond the football ground, the gradient of the trail becomes more mellow. It’s a nice easy walk for the next 20 min. Turn a corner and Dodeydrak monastery comes suddenly into view. It’s a scene straight out of a movie. A massive monastery located in the middle of a dense forest! Unlike tigers nest monastery, Dodeydrak receives very few visitors. My guide was quite surprised that I requested for a night’s stay at the monastery. He himself has never stayed overnight at the monastery. It’s 1545 when I enter the monastery gates. It’s wan easy-moderate difficulty walk to the monastery using the trail that starts from Dechencholing Goemba. The decision not built a road to this monastery was taken in order to preserve its splendid isolation. Without a motorable road, everything, including food, is carried up to the monastery by porters or mules.

This gate marks the entrance
to Dodeydrak Monastery

Monks come to Dodeydrak monastery for their advanced studies. The monastery complex has a lot of buildings. We ask a few monks and navigate our way to the visitor’s room. I am the only visitor in the entire monastery! We are offered tea and biscuits. Then, I am taken to my room. It’s is a simple dorm with an attached toilet. A lot of mattresses placed on the dorm floor. It’s a lot cozier than my bed in the last 5 days! (See Dagala Trek) My guide and I are sleeping in the same room. After a while, I go for a walk around the monastery. It’s drizzling and I am forced to return quickly.

The evening prayers are from 6 to 7 pm. I enter the prayer room after most of the monks have taken their places. I make myself comfortable in the back row. The prayer room is well decorated. Unfortunately photography is not allowed in the prayer room. It’s quite theraputic to sit through the prayers. After dinner, I retire to my room

This building is the monastery library

The monks residing at Dodeydrak Monastery have to follow a demanding schedule. Their day starts by 5 AM and ends by 10 PM. The morning prayers are conducted daily from 0530 to 0630 AM. The next morning, I find my way to the prayer room by 0600. Compared to yesterday evening, there are more monks in attendance. During the prayers, the monks are always seated. The only exception is the minder monk. He walks around during the prayers, organising everything, brings in ritual items etc. etc. Photography is prohibited in the prayer room. But I saw the minder monk taking a video on his mobile phone. When he came closer to me, I asked him to shoot a video of the prayers on my phone. And he did!!

Monks drying their clothes outside their quarters

Later he came to me and politely asked me to step out. I hadn’t realised that it was 0630 AM. The prayers are over. I wait for the monks to come out so that I can take some pictures, but they don’t. Maybe they have classes after prayers! I go for a walk around the monastery complex. Since the monastery is in a jungle, it’s very tranquil. Monkeys are playing on the monastery roof. Birds are flying around. It’s like being in a fairy tale world. I walk around and I spot a board that says kitchen. The cook is standing outside. Cooking for all the monks won’t be an easy talk. I try to talk to him but we don’t have a common language. He invites me into the kitchen and I take a few photographs. He is cooking something in a large aluminum utensil over the wood fired stove, but I can’t identify what it is!

Plan of the Monastery

As I walk around, I spot a wooden board with the biography of the Chapjee Pema Zangpo. Since it’s quite fascinating, I’m typing a part of it here. See the photo for the full text.

++++Quote+++

His holiness Chapjee Pema Zangpo was born in 1979 at Chang Olakha, Thimphu. After receiving profound religious instructions from his 2 root masters Jamogen Yeshi Dorji and Jee Jamyang Gyeltsen, he then went for a visual realisation retreat of Pelden Lhamo in a cave below Dodeydra monastery. Soon after, it is believed that Pelden Lhamo’s riding donkey brayed in front of the cave which is considered to be an auspicious omen, a blessing by Pelden Lhamo in real.

According to his biography, the sacred feces of the destined donkey was preserved in the relic box inside his Lhakang. At the age of 69 in 1847, Chapjee Pema Zangpo was enthroned as the 27th Jee Kempo… … … Later in 1850 at the age of 72, his Holiness attained Nirvana.

++++Unquote+++

The old prayer room. Notice the Buddha painted
on the rock

The biggest building at Dodeydrak houses the old prayer room. The building is closed and there isn’t anybody around. On the rock above the old prayer room is a massive Buddha painting. It’s amazing. It’s unlike anything I have ever seen! How did they climb up there to paint the Buddha!! I walk up to a high rock overlooking the Buddha painting. It’s very peaceful. I hope it remains tranquil like this forever. After a while, I notice a young monk walking towards the building. When I approached him, the monk asked me if I wanted to see the prayer room.

The building housing the prayer room is built with the rock face acting as one of the side walls. The prayer room is situated on the first floor and is quite small. It is well decorated with a lot of statues and wall paintings. Photography is not allowed inside the shrine room. I make a small offering to the Buddhas. As I step out, the monk points to a golden yellow square painted on the rock. It is said that good people can hear chants when they press their ear to the painted square on the rock. I tried my luck. I neither hear chants nor Cardi B.

Good people can hear chants when they press their
ear to this golden yellow painted square.

The monk takes me to a smaller room outside the prayer room. This room is exclusively for lighting yak butter lamps. I light a few lamps. After thanking the monk, I return to my room. Later, my guide told me that lighting yak butter lamps are especially beneficial after someone has passed away. It’s believed that these lamps will provide light to a person who is in the Bardo state between death and rebirth. Religious texts state that this Bardo state to lasts generally up to 49 days. Hence, the loved ones of the deceased often light yak butter lamps for 49 days.

Lighing Yak butter lamps

We have breakfast in the guest room. It’s rice, vegetable and scrambled eggs. I think it’s a different menu for the monks. We start walking down by 0845. I am taking the shorter path while going down. It’s quite steep and I will not recommend this trail for hiking up! This path ends in the woods near the Bhutan king’s residence. The trek back to civilization took me an hour. The waiting car took me to Thimphu.

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