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The Dochula Pass is a mountain pass in the snow covered Himalayas within Bhutan on the road from Thimpu to Punakha where 108 memorial chortens or stupas known as "Druk Wangyal Chortens" have been built by Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, the eldest Queen Mother.
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Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in Asia. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, Bhutan is geopolitically in South Asia. Thimphu is its capital and largest city
Dochula pass is located on the way to Punakha from Thimphu. The pass is a popular location among tourists as it offers a stunning 360 degree panoramic view of Himalayan mountain range
The pass is located at an elevation of 3,116 metres on the East West Road from Thimpu to Punakha and further east in the Himalayas amidst the Eastern Himalayan snow-covered mountains
The Dochula Pass is a mountain pass in the snow covered Himalayas within Bhutan on the road from Thimpu to Punakha where 108 memorial chortens or stupas known as "Druk Wangyal Chortens" have been built by Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, the eldest Queen Mother
To the east of the pass, the snow clad mountain peaks of the Himalayas are seen prominently and among them is the Mt. Masanggang at 7,158 metres which is the highest peak in Bhutan, known in local language as the Mt. Gangkar Puensum.
Gangkar Puensum, the highest peak in Bhutan as seen from the Dochula Pass
Many colorful prayer flags and chortens also dot the pass. When the breeze blows Buddhist prayer flags, harmony, happiness, and good fortune are spread among all living beings
The hill slopes around the pass are festooned with a profusion of colourful religious flags fixed by the Buddhist people as a mark of veneration. These prayer flags are squares of colored fabric with symbols, mantras, sutras, and prayers that enhance the spirits and lives of anyone nearby
The flags, made in five colours representing the natural forces, — "blue (sky), white (clouds), red (fire), green (water) and yellow (earth)" – are inscribed with Buddhist scriptural prayers to usher prosperity and peace around the country
The Druk Wangyal Khang Zhang Chortens are red-band or khangzang chortens, 108 in numbers, built in a central hillock at the pass, under the patronage of the Queen Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk. In local language they are called chortens of victory. These were built as a memorial in honour of the Bhutanese soldiers who were killed in the December 2003 battle against Assamese insurgents from India
Buddha Shakyamuni (the historical Buddha) is depicted in meditation posture (Dhyanasana) and holding a begging bowl in his left hand. The right hand touches the ground (a mudra called Bhumisparsa or “calling the earth to witness” = Buddha has called the earth as a witness of his inexorable path to enlightenment)
It particularly marks the victory of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck who dislodged the rebels from their camps (there were 30 camps) in Bhutanese territory from where they raiding Indian territory of Assam
After the war the king went back to Thimpu on 28 December 2003 and at this stage the 108 chortens were being built
They were completed in mid June 2004 and formally consecrated and sanctified with religious rites held on 19–20 June
The chortens are built in three layers, the first lowest level layer has forty five chortens, the second has thirty six and the top layer has twenty seven built around the main chorten. The construction of these chortens was done as per religiously ordained ritualistic procedures. The number 108 is considered sacred by several Eastern religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, connected yoga and dharma based practices
In the upper stage, which is considered the "vital stage", in erecting a chorten was the fixing of the sokshing meaning "the life tree of the chorten". The sokshing, which is believed to provide a link between heaven and earth within a chorten, is in the form of a long square wooden pole made from a juniper tree made by an individual who has appropriate qualities from an astrological point of view
The pole was painted in red colour and inscribed with sacred hymns and banded with religious paraphernalia such as gilded images of gods, prayer bells, small clay stupas, and also precious stones and jewellery. The sokshing was then wrapped around by silk cloth and then fixed in the partly built chorten on an auspicious day
The forest cover on the slopes of the pass consists of cypress trees. The pass with 108 memorial chortens is adjacent to the country's first Royal Botanical Park
Apart from the chortens there is a monastery called the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang (temple), built in honour of the fourth Druk Gyalpo (head of the state of Bhutan), Jigme Singye Wangchuck
the open grounds in its front yard is a venue for the annual Dochula Druk Wangyel Festival
building of a temple known as the Druk Wangyel Lhakhng, with the backdrop of "pristine" forest of the snow covered Himalayan mountains, was initiated and completed in June 2008
Druk Wangyel Lhakhng was built as a memorial to celebrate 100 years of monarchy in Bhutan
