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Changangkha Temple is one of the oldest temples in the Thimphu valley, founded by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, founder of the Drukpa Lineage in Bhutan, and extended by his son Nyima in the 13th century.
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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
Changangkha Temple is one of the oldest temples in the Thimphu valley, founded by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, founder of the Drukpa Lineage in Bhutan, and extended by his son Nyima in the 13th century
This popular temple, perched like a fortress on a ridge above central Thimphu, hums with pilgrim activity. It was established in the 12th century on a site chosen by Lama Phajo Drukgom Shigpo, who came from Ralung in Tibet
Parents traditionally come here to get auspicious names for their newborns or blessings for their young children from the protector deity Tamdrin (to the left in the grilled inner sanctum). Children are blessed by a phurba (ritual dagger) and given a sacred thread
Bhutan had a population of 797,765 people in 2016. Bhutan has a median age of 24.8 years
The head is considered to be the most sacred part of the body and the foot the most impure, which means that you must never touch another person's head nor point your feet at anyone or towards a holy object
Rows of Prayer Wheels decorate the perimeter of Changangkha Lhakhang
A prayer wheel is a cylindrical wheel on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather or coarse cotton
Traditionally, the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra is written in Sanskrit on the outside of the prayer wheel
At the core of the cylinder is a "Life Tree" often made of wood or metal with certain mantras written on or wrapped around it. Many thousands (or in the case of larger prayer wheels, millions) of mantras are then wrapped around this life tree. The Mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is most commonly used, but other mantras may be used as well
According to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition based on the lineage texts regarding prayer wheels, spinning such a wheel will have much the same meritorious effect as orally reciting the prayers
The mani wheel, or hand prayer wheel, has a cylindrical, generally sheet-metal body (often beautifully embossed) mounted on a metal shaft or pin set into a wooden or metal handle that turns on a circular bearing commonly made of Turbinella (conch) shell
The Kalachakra is a term used in Vajrayana Buddhism that means wheel of time or "time-cycles". Kālacakra is usually used to refer to a very complex teaching and practice in Tibetan Buddhism. Although the teaching is very advanced and esoteric, there is a tradition of offering it to large public audiences Kalachakra symbol in gold
Many monasteries around Tibet or Bhutan have large, fixed, metal wheels set side by side in a row
Passersby can turn the entire row of wheels simply by sliding their hands over each one
According to the lineage texts on prayer wheels, prayer wheels are used to accumulate wisdom and merit (good karma) and to purify negativities (bad karma)
The temple was restored in 1998-99. An incense factory is also located in Changangkha named Poe Nado
The water-driven prayer wheel This type of prayer wheel is simply a prayer wheel that is turned by flowing water. The water that is touched by the wheel is said to become blessed and carries its purifying power into all life forms in the oceans and lakes that it feeds into
The Changangkha temple houses a statue of Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara as well as very large prayer wheels and unusually large size sacred scriptures
The interior murals are particularly fine. Give the resident astrologer your birth date and he will consult divination charts to decide which kind of protective prayer flags will benefit you (Nu 150 for the flags)
