Desecration of Dakphel Chorten- an Atrocious Blasphemy

Hardly a month ago, a Chorten (stupa) in Dhakphel, around 18 KMs from Zhemgang towards Tingtingbi met the brutal fate like its several other mates- VANDALISM!!!

The Chorten in Dakphel, divested of its Zung

The Chorten is located just by the road and there are houses quite nearby. The one who vandalized must have gathered a hell lot of nerves while performing the unwholesome act. Any time, a vehicle could have passed by or people residing nearby could have caught him digging!!! He was such a brave man!!!

But the unfortunate reality is that he misused his moral fiber. Had he used the same amount of courage to pursue a decent vocation rather than wrecking a religious artifact, he could have led a dignified life. Now, his conscience would not allow him to remain at peace, unless he is suffering from kleptomania and has committed similar crimes repeatedly.

Source: kuenselonline

There figure above shows that there were 761 cases of chorten vandalism from 2008-2012 alone, which means, there would have been numerous other cases before 2008 and after 2012. 

Hence, with such crimes on the rise, we need to look for measures to safeguard our sacred artifacts in the vulnerable parts of our country and also, it would be wiser to rethink constructing such artifacts in places far from settlements. Creating awareness about the fate of such callous act, both legal and spiritual and installing less tempting Zungs into the Chorten, as discussed in the National Council in September, last year might work, perhaps. Meanwhile, we may also think of streamlining the construction of such piece whereby certain safety measures are incorporated so that we don’t lose our spiritual wealth to the heartless crooks.

Helping Hands or Mere Spectators? The choice is yours!!!

This Maruti Van veered around 200 ft off the road at Nabi, around 4 KMs from Tingtingbi towards Gelephu at around 09:30am on Saturday, January 25, 2014.

No, this vehicle wasn’t old; it got burnt when the accident happened. Fortunately, the vehicle caught fire only when it landed near a brook; lots of dried leaves would have aided combustion, had it kindled on its midway down and thereby set the forest ablaze.

There were five passengers in the Van of whom one died on the spot, one expired on the way to the Gelephu Regional Referral Hospital, one passed away in the hospital and one is in critical condition while the fifth one, the driver is stable.

A team comprising of Yebilabtsa Hospital Staff, RBP, RSTA and Dzongkhag Officials, among others rushed to the site to retrieve the body. I heard that our bodies tend to become very heavy after we die, but I could learn how heavy it really becomes.

The one who died on the spot succumbed to jaw dislocation, left hand and left leg fracture besides several other cuts and bruises; the one who died on the way had his brain blown out; the other who died in the hospital was suspected to have severe leg fracture and the one who was deemed critical also suffered severe head injuries.

Lessons learnt:

1    There were around fifteen of us who went to the site of whom around three did not even bother to go to the actual accident spot where the body and the scrap lay; among around 13 of us who went, just less than half of us helped to retrieve the body and important belongings to the road side; and from 6 of us who helped, only two people were involved in actually touching the body. From this, it was it was quite evident that most of the people don’t go to the accident site to lend their helping hands; they rather go to provide moral support or as mere spectators!!!

2       It is not necessary to be too reckless to meet an accident, just a mere mistake is enough- the road where this accident occurred is too broad for an accident. Also, stuffs like staying up late when u got to drive the following day, drink driving, using mobile phones while driving doesn’t merit any deliberation- by indulging in these awful activities, we don’t just risk our own lives, we endanger other’s lives as well!!!

Marvelous Dunmang Tshachhu!!!

Located at an altitude of 500 meters above the sea level, the sacred Dunmang Tshachhu (hot spring) is sandwiched in between steep gorges, just by the Mangdechhu. After driving for an hour from Tingtingbi towards Gomphu, the Tshachhu is just another hour's walk downhill from the highway. 

It is a sacred Ney of Guru Rinpochey and people say that there are 108 different hot springs in here. It is also revered to be a cure for piles, arthritis and skin diseases, among many others.

It was a pleasant coincidence for me to pay a visit to this area on my birthday (on 13th January). 

As I went for a dip late into the night, as if in trance, I was drawn into a conversation by the meandering Mangdechhu. Of the many lessons it taught me, she cautioned me that I was already into the 25th year since I was born and that I do not have any concrete achievements to my credit. She also told me that my life was fleeting, just as her flow downstream.

Upon asking about how I could overcome this crisis, she just told me very bluntly that I would rust if I chose to rest and thereby, she put an end to our conversation quite abruptly. 

I am assuming, she meant that I need to conquer complacency and work rather very hard!!!