Monasteries of Bhutan

The issue price of the sheet is Nu 53

MONASTERIES OF BHUTAN

Bhutan Post is pleased to announce a new stamp issue on “Monasteries of Bhutan” celebrating the “Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the King” on November 11, 2005. the cost of the stamp is Nu.53.00 only. Taktsang Monastery: Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) is one of the most sacred monasteries in Bhutan. It is perched on a rocky cliff at 2600 feet (800 meters) above the Paro Valley and was built by the fourth Druk Desi, Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye in 1692. Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche flew on the back of a tigress and meditated in the cave where Taktsang Monastery now stands. The monastery includes ten temples which can all be visited. The monastery suffered several blazes the most recent being in 1998 and present monastery was restored in 2000. Kichu Monastery Kichu Monastery is one of Bhutan’s most sacred monasteries dating from the introduction of Buddhism in the 7th century. Located in Paro, it is the oldest monastery in the country built by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in 659 A.D. this Monastery is one of the 108 monasteries built miraculously in a single day by the Tibetan King to tame a huge Demons whose body covered all of Tibet and its neighboring areas, which posed a particularly big problem to the spreading of Buddhism. The King thus decided to erect a temple on each of the demon’s joints so that she would no longer be able to move. Songtsen Gampo was said to have magically multiplied himself and to have sent all of his emanations into the various areas so as to erect 108 temples in one day. The demon’s left knee is held by Jambay Monastery in Bumthang and her left sole is fixed by the Kichu Monastery. Kurjey MonasteryLocated in the beautiful valley of Bumthang, Kurjey is a complex of three temples, beneath a giant cypress tree. The main temple was built in 1652 by Minjur Tempa, Trongsa Penlop. This temple houses the cave where Guru Rinpoche had left his body imprint visible on the rock while meditating during the 8th century to subdue the local deities. The middle temple was built by the First King of Bhutan during his tenure as Trongsa Penlop in 1900. The third temple was constructed under patronage of Her Majesty the queen mother Ashi Kesang Wangmo Wangchuck. Jambay Monastery Jambay Monastery is believed to have been built on the same day as the Kichu Monastery in Paro by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in 59 A.D. The central figure in the sanctuary is the statue of Jampa, the Buddha of the future. It was here that Guru Rinpoche conducted his first sermon on Tantric Buddhism for the local ruler of Bumthang, King Sendha Gyap, his family and subjects. The Monastery is built over a lake in which Guru Rinpoche is said to have hidden many sacred and religious treasures.

 

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Uploaded on September 21, 2008
Taken on September 21, 2008