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Published in 1914 by National Geographic, "Castles in the Air" was the first news about this mystical Himalayan kindom to reach the West. Like great white battleships floating in a sea of clouds, these fortress castles are called dzongs and were built in the 17th century to defend Bhutan from hoards of invaders that attacked from all points of the compass. Today, three dzongs lay in ruin, but twenty are preserved and used mostly as religious and administrative centers.
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Most Bhutanese men carry their money and personal belongings in the front fold of their gho, much like westerners carry a wallet, except that the gho also usually holds a knife, teacup and bowl. Too, while on long pilgrimages or herding yaks far from home, the gho serves as a sleeping bag. Robin took this picture at the Ura festival.
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Throughout Bhutan, in high mountain passes and lowland fields, prayer flags flutter in the wind to send a steady stream of mantras to the deities. As the air passes over the printed surface of the flag, it is sweetened and purified to benefit all salient beings in the area. A typical prayer flag has at its central image a horse bearing three flaming jewels on its back. The horse is known as a “wind-horse” and the three jewels symbolize Buddha, the Buddhist teachings and the Buddhist community. Together, these symbols make up the equivalent of the Bhutanese Trinity. The woodblock prints are also prayers for long life and good fortune of the person who erects the flags.
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Om Mani Padme Hum. This pilgrim chants a Buddhist mantra while walking clockwise around the Memorial Chorten in Thimpu. (See May 8 of itinerary) Her prayer beads are useful to keep count of her murmured incantations and circumnavigations. Reproduction of mantras through a repeatable medium occupies a very special place in Buddhist culture, invoking the powerful attention and blessings of benevolent deities. In Buddhism, one can never say too may prayers.
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