The places I visited in Paro

Topic: Places of Worship(Lhakhang and Monastery)

Class: V

 Subject: Social studies

Dongkola Lhakhang

The main statue of Dongkola is Buddha Sakyamuni which was discovered by the famous treasure hunter Pema Lingpa. Another main relic is a throe which is a bronze vessel. One interesting thing that you will hear here is that nothing can be stolen from this temple.

The legend says that once a thief tired to steal the vessel from the lhakang. That thief had run away with the vessel but was ended up circumambulating a stupa below the lhakhang. Until dawn, he was still near that lhakang. When he heard the caretaker had wakened up, he severed his hand which was stuck in the vessel. That severed hand is still kept as a relic in the lhakang.

It is also believed that once a wooden burl cup called phob was stolen from the temple. At dawn, the phob was miraculously returned to the lhakang.

Retrieved from: https://www.bhutantraveltourism.com/paro-hikes/ 

Dra Karpo Lhakhang

Towards the lower part of Paro, is a place, called Dra karpo. Guru Rinpoche had personally meditated in this monastery and many body prints still stands on testimony. When you enter the main alter, you will hear the great story of Guru Rinpoche where he broke the rock and made a cave for his meditation. Just below the monastery, one can see a cave where one has to pass through a narrow hole between the rocks to assess ones acts – pious or sinful.

Within the cave, one can see the print of the Guru in a cave and one can see the images of a sinful and a pious person in the cave. In the cave there is the print of Paksamjoenshing. Besides all, one can see the miraculous footprint of Guru Rinpoche.

Retrieved from: http://www.paro.gov.bt/node/306 

Taktshang

Guru Rinpoche flew to this location from Singye Dzong on the back of a tigress. This place was consecrated to tame the Tiger demon. An alternative legend holds that a former wife of an emperor, known as Yeshe Tshogyal willingly became a disciple of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambahva) in Tibet. She transformed herself into a tigress and carried the Guru on her back from Tibet to the present location of the Taktsang in Bhutan. In one of the caves here, the Guru then performed meditation and emerged in eight incarnated forms (manifestations) and the place became holy. Subsequently, the place came to be known as the “Tiger's Nest”.

Retrieved from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paro_Taktsang#History

Description 

The pictures with descriptions is mainly to teach class five students the topic ‘Places of Worship’ from social studies. I used the pictures that I captured during my visit to these places and I gathered information from the online sources. Through this students will know the reason to worship Lhakhangs and places and they will know the history of lhakhangs. 

In order to have better understanding I will let students to write about one Lhakhang they visited.