Dochula

Half awake and half asleep I was, at 5:30AM. We were on the road from Thimphu to Punakha for a field trip. As the sun was rising, we stopped at the Dochula pass. 108 chortens stood majestically amongst the awakening Himalayan Mountains.

At 3,100 meters above sea level, these clustered white monuments are said to have been built to subdue a demon troubling travellers between Thimphu and the east of Bhutan. The Lakhang Temple is also a spiritual place where the structure tells the story of a warrior figure that envisions the distant future with history and mythology.

Prayer poles are present. You can see a mountain top in every direction. Trees are ubiquitous too.

This place is breath-taking.