- Title: BHUTAN: Phallic paintings protect Bhutanese homes from evil spirits
- Date: 6th April 2008
- Summary: (L!WE) METSHINA, BHUTAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) COUPLE WALKING IN FRONT OF THE VILLAGE HOUSES WITH PAINTINGS OF PHALLUSES ON THEM PHALLIC PAINTINGS ON EACH SIDE OF DOOR PAINTING OF PENIS TOURISTS TAKING PICTURES OF HOUSE PAINTING OF PENIS EXCRETING SEMEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) BERTIE ROSLING, A FOREIGN TOURIST FROM FINLAND, SAYING: "Oh yes they are just funny. You know in Scandinavia we are just used to pictures like that." PHALLIC PAINTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) BERTIE ROSLING, A FOREIGN TOURIST FROM FINLAND, SAYING: "This is just magnificent. They have really preserved the old culture and done a lot of jobs to restore it and to get it flourished." TOURISTS IN FRONT OF HOUSE
- Embargoed: 21st April 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Bhutan
- Country: Bhutan
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Lifestyle
- Reuters ID: LVA68CFOPT2JR4K8GSLK96XLI44Q
- Story Text: Amidst green paddy fields and crystal clear streams, what strikes a tourist in this Bhutanese village of Metshina are ornate drawings of phalluses on the walls of most houses.
The images are painted on each side of the door, and ribbons have been painted around them. Traditional Bhutan belief has it that the phallic paintings help ward off evil spirits.
Bertie Rosling, a tourist from Finland, has expressed his bewilderment.
"Oh yes they are just funny. You know in Scandinavia we are just used to pictures like that," said Rosling, a retired professor of economics.
Yet Rosling applauded Bhutan for maintaining its tradition and culture.
"This is just magnificent. They have really preserved the old culture and done a lot of job to restore it and to get it flourished," he added.
Most homes in rural villages like those in Metshina have phalluses painted on their outside walls. The phallus is an integral part of ceremonies observed by communities, commonly used to ward off evil spirits and counter evil.
Truck drivers are also said to have the phalluses painted on their vehicles as a sign of good omens.
The tradition goes back almost six centuries back to the legacies of a maverick saint, Lama Drukpa Kunley, also known as the "divine madman" for his unrestrained sexual practices and rebellion against the dogmatic religious institutions.
Kinzo Wangdi, one of the villagers of Metshina, said it was an old Bhutanese practice to paint penises on the house walls or next to the entrance door to ward off evil spirits.
"Since the time of Drupka Kunley Lama this is being practiced.
This is painted to ward off any evil spirits. The evil spirits will not enter the house and disturb the inmates. The penis is the most potent male weapon that is why this is painted to shoo away the bad omens," Wangdi said.
Tradition says the penis protects those who live inside the house.
Their presence also means that quarrels among family members will disappear.
In the Bhutanese folklore, story has it that a saint was able to use his masculine power to tame a demon in Helela.
A monastery was dedicated to the maverick saint Kunley near Bhutan's former capital Punakha.
Called the Chimi Lhakhang monastery, a low, square building capped by a golden peaked roof and surrounded by white prayer flags, sits atop a hill that rises from a sea of paddy fields. It was built in 1499 by Lama Drukpa Kunley.
The use of the phallus by the saint to subdue and tame wandering spirits is linked to the popular Bhutanese belief that phallic symbols ward-off evil spirits.
Singye Dorji, head monk of the Chimi Lhakhang monastery, said Bhutanese now use the symbol to also bless infertile women.
"We have kept (artificial) phalluses here in the monastery because the founder of this monastery Lama Drukpa Kunley used to bless his followers through his phallus and not through his hands. He had so much of power that his blessings would cure most ills and give infertile women children, so the practice is being followed ever since," said Dorji.
The Bhutanese say the phallus of Drukpa Kunley was so potent that he was able to subdue all of Bhutan's resident demons and turn them into protective deities.
The phallus is worshipped in different forms in many south Asian societies. Hindus in India and Nepal worship the lingam, which signifies a phallus, in temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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