The Legends of Punakha
Dzongs in Bhutan not only represent the rich art and architecture, but they also reflect the legends and folklore of the country.
Punakha Dzong in western Bhutan which sits on the confluence of two rivers, seemed to rise out of the water like a ghostly galleon. The trees that line the fringe of the imposing white and brick coloured structure crowned with gilded pagoda roofs were covered with the bloom of purple flowers giving it a surreal air. Indeed, the history of the winter capital of the little Himalayan kingdom, Punakha and its dzong is woven into the legends and folklore of the country.
The dzong traces its origins to the early 17th century Tibetan lama Ngawang Namgyal who unified Bhutan and established himself as the religious ruler with the title Zhabdrung.
One of the first things that he did on his arrival in the country in 1616 was the construction of a number of fortified dzongs at strategic locations across the rugged land which could serve the twin purpose of administrative headquarters as well as defensive outposts.
According to one legend, Shabdrung Namgyal, who had taken up position against the pursuing Tibetan army in Punakha Dzong, realized that his forces were hopelessly outnumbered. In order to mislead and deter his enemy from attacking, he ordered his troops to leave the dzong from a hidden exit at the rear, then circle around a hillock and enter the fortress once again from the main entrance in full view of the enemy who had laid siege of the outpost. This he did repeatedly to give false impression those reinforcements from different parts of the country had been pouring in to defend the dzong. The ruse worked and the Tibetan army did not press ahead with the impending attack.
A research scholar at the Centre for Bhutan Studies in Thimphu states that in all reality the incident did happen. However, there are no records of those early formative days of the country to show when and where it took place. According to him, the subterfuge could have been pulled off at any of the dzongs across the country but most people assume that it probably happened at Punakha. “What we do know is that Tibet invaded us seven times and every time the people of Bhutan expressed their loyalty to the country in anti-Tibetan sentiments,” he added as he as aside.
Another legend linked to Shabdrung Namgyal explains why Bhutanese wear white sleeved robes. Here too, it involves an encounter with the Tibetan army that had followed him to Bhutan to retrieve a holy relic of the Buddha which he had taken to his host country. Realizing that the poorly equipped forces of the fledging nation would not be able to withstand the onslaught of the invaders, he threatened to destroy rather than return the religious treasure. However, unknown to his enemies he made a crude replica of the relic and hid it in the large white sleeve of his tunic. He marched out to the banks of the river in full view of his pursuers with the original in his hand, then quickly switched it with the hidden fake and dropped the later into water, giving the impression that it was lost forever. The poly worked and the holy relic, now hidden in the sleeve of his tunic, was brought back safely and enshrined in an inner sanctum of Punakha Dzong. Ever since then people of Bhutan wear tunics with large white sleeves as a mark of respect to guile of their founder.
Also preserved in the dzong is the most sacred treasure: the mortal remains of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. According to a researcher at the Centre for Bhutan Studies, between 1616, when he first came to Bhutan and 1650 when he created a unified Bhutan, he established a code of law and a dual system of government in which the religious hierarchy played an important role in administering the state. “However, it was the magnetic personality of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal that held the new nation together,” he observed.
One day in 1651, the founder of modern Bhutan entered the meditation room in Punakha Dzong and instructed his monks that he should not be disturbed. He did not emerge from the chamber again. Finally, some 55 years later, Shabdrung Rimpoche’s son entered the room and found the lifeless, yet uncorrupted body of his father sitting in a meditative posture, and officially pronounced him dead. “No one knows when he actually died, but the 55 years proved to be an important period in the history of a nation which might have fallen apart had word got out to the warlords that its founding father was dead,” said the scholar of the Centre for Bhutan Studies.
The mortal remains of Shabdrung Namgyal are still preserved in a special room in Punakha Dzong. No one is allowed to enter the sanctum except a handful of senior monks who treat the mortal remains as though he were still alive, bringing him meals and all other means of sustenance. The body is believed to be slowly shrinking. It will finally dissolve into ‘rainbow light’ or attain nirvana.
As a footnote, the research scholar added that some nine years ago, the last Je Khenpo, or the spiritual head of the country, went into eternal meditation similar to that of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Like the founder of the nation, the body of the Je Khenpo has not been corrupted by death but is also shrinking towards ‘rainbow light’. “These miracles are reflections of the deep spiritually of Bhutan even as it must modernize to keep in touch with the outside world,” he concluded.
By: Gustasp Irani