Day Three: Thimphu-Punakha
Having explored the new capital, we set course for the old one, Punakha. A short drive from Thimphu on some butter-smooth roads lined with alpine foliage brought us to the enchanting Dochula Pass. In addition to offering a panoramic view of the snow-capped Himalayas in the distance, Dochula Pass is also home to the Druk Wangyal Chortens, a collection of 108 stupas built to honour each soldier who laid down his life for Bhutan in a military operation in 2003. Also worth seeing is a temple, called Druk Wangyal Lhakhang, which is an artistic marvel built with fine taste. From there, we hit the road once again, tackling downhill mountain roads all the way to Punakha.
Day Four: Punakha-Paro
Our first port of call was the famous fertility temple or, as the local people call it, “Chime Lhakhang”. This temple is dedicated to Lam Drukpa Kuenley who was best known as the “Divine Madman”. Do look him up. I am sure at least a few of you will consider following in his path; quite an unconventional approach to religion.
This ancient master is also believed to have subdued a number of demons and demonesses during his lifetime.
The fellows at Mahindra had reserved the second part of the day for the best attraction in Punakha. The Punakha Dzong is, perhaps, the most beautiful structure in all of Bhutan, which is remarkable considering that this was the second Dzong to be built in all of Bhutan and, so many years later, it continues to surpass the elegance of younger architectural feats. Makes sense that all of Bhutan’s royalty is crowned here. If you think this Dzong is beautiful from the outside, you will be spellbound by what lies within those walls.
Still reeling from our visit to the Punakha Dzong, the convoy continued along the river until we reached a small clearing where we had an open-air picnic spread out for us. Post lunch, we were engulfed by the charm of Bhutan’s scenery as we continued towards Paro.
