Did you know that the Dochula Pass, which contains 108 memorial chortens or stupas lies adjacent to the first Royal Botanical Park in Bhutan?
The Dochula Pass, located at an elevation of 3,100 metres, is a mountain pass in the snow covered Himalayas within Bhutan on the road from Thimphu to Punakha. The most notable landmarks around this park include 108 Druk Wangyal Khang Zhang Chortens or stupas, the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang (temple), and the rhododendron garden which is part of the 47 km2 Royal Botanical Park.
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 (23,484 ft) which is the highest peak in Bhutan, known in local language as the Mt. Gangkar Puensum.The road east of the pass runs steep for some distance and then takes a left turn towards Punakha Valley to the Punakha Dzong, in Punakha (the old capital of Bhutan), which is located at the confluence of two rivers.The pass was part of ancient trails or tracks between Thimphu and Punakha,
Druk Wangyal Chortens on the pass were built by Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, the eldest Queen Mother.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. The chortens are built in three layers as per religiously ordained ritualistic procedures, 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.
After completion of the chortens, 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. This was built as a memorial to celebrate 100 years of monarchy in Bhutan. Paintings on themes of Bhutanese history decorate the walls of the temple.
The forest cover on the slopes of the pass consists of cypress trees. 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. 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.
A popular annual festival held at the pass on December 13 is the Dochula Druk Wangyel Tsechu (or Festival). This festival commemorates victory of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo and the Armed Forces in 2003.
Source: Extracts from artcile in Wikipedia posted by me on 25 November 2015 following my visit to Bhutan.
Narasipur Char
