03/04/2022
๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐จ, ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐จ๐๐ง๐ฆ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐จ
The mysterious Buli lake is nestled in the dense forest of Buli village in Zhemgang. This historic Buli Tsho (lake) is considered the Palace of Kheng Buliโs protector goddess, Tshomen Kuntu Zangmo, also known as Buli Moenmo, the mermaid.
The residents of Kheng Buli worship the Moenmo by reciting prayers and offering milk and khadhar. During their annual rituals, all of the households worship it as well. Individual households often perform Moenmo rituals to accumulate merit, cure sickness, and ward off bad luck.
The portrait of Tshomen Kuntu Zangmo can be seen on the wall of famous Buli Lhakang.
๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐จ
The Buli community have designated two months of the year as restricted months for visiting the lake since time immemorial (2 months kagdam from the 1st day of 8th Bhutanese month). These two months are the harvest season of Kheng region. If people who have touched a dead body, people whose spouse has recently died, and ladies on menstruation visit the lake, it is suspected that the community will become sick, and their crops will be destroyed by natural disasters.
When visiting the Tsho, visitors must dress in traditional attire. An alcoholic libation and milk offering , hoisting prayer flags (Lungdhar), and bringing meat products are all forbidden at the lake.
In order to maintain the serenity of the Buli Tsho in perfect ambiance, visitors are prohibited to camp and defile the surrounding. Smoking and drinking are strictly prohibited. Picnicking around the lake is also prohibited around the lake.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐จ
The lake, which is less than 5 kilometers south of Nangkhor gewog center, is surrounded by a peaceful atmosphere. In the midst of the serenity, an unsettling atmosphere pervades.
Zhemgang Dzongkhag is 56 kilometers away from the Nangkhor gewog. It takes about 15 minutes by car and 30 minutes on foot from Nangkhor gewog center with a short cut. The Buli Tsho has a surface area of 2 hectares and is located at an elevation of 1372 meters above sea level.
๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐จ
There are several variations of the legend surrounding the infamous Buli Tsho (lake), none of which has been officially published. Buli Tsho, according to one of the many accounts commonly believed among the locals, tells the story of a sister making a promise to her brother and the journey she took to keep the promise.
The legend dates back to late seventeenth century. Buli Ponpo (chieftain of Buli village) had agreed to follow a prophecy and travel south to Bhutan after winning several battles in Tibet. His sister (a mermaid), who had been by his side during his wars, was unable to accompany him on this voyage for some reason. She promised her brother, however, that the two siblings would reunite in the land of the cypress tree (Bhutan).
The sister first arrived in Dungkar, Lhuentse, then traveled to Chumey, Bumthang, and finally Buli, Zhemgang, in search of her brother. The lake is thought to have settled in these locations before deciding to settle permanently in Kheng Buli.
The sister disguised herself as a woman and found refuge in a house in Trongmeth when she arrived in Buli. She was greeted by an elderly lady who permitted her to remain in the alter room.
The mermaid, who only showed a portion of her face, had asked the old lady not to bother her. The old lady wanted to show hospitality by offering tea and Ara (local wine). She went ahead and peered through a hole in the alter room. The old lady was shocked to see a large snake sleeping.
The next morning, the mermaid had left the building. When the old lady went to look around the room, she discovered a butter churner that had been left behind. According to legend, the number of cattle in the house increased for a year after that. However, after a few years, the churner vanished on its own, and the familyโs cattle numbers began to dwindle day by day.
The mermaid claimed some areas beneath the main settlement and built her Phodrang (palace) in the form of a lake after leaving the house in Trongmeth. The nearby village, however, polluted the water, so the mermaid relocated her Phodrang to the south, near the current lake. Since the new site was at a tri-junction, the lake was once again polluted by continuous human movement. She eventually relocated to her present location.
According to another legend, the first Buli Ponpo was the nephew of the lakeโs deity, Buli Moenmo. The lake miraculously built on the spot where a stranger who had asked villagers for hospitality had slept the night before. Following the lake formation, a farmerโs daughter began acting strangely. She was missing from home one morning, and while searching, her worried father came across the lake, where he discovered several perfectly made pots (Thro), except for one that had a defect, and realized that the others had vanished. He held the pot and became extremely wealthy, and his descendants became Buli Ponpos (local rulers) after that.
Terton Pema Lingpa (15th century) and Terton Dorji Lingpa (12th century) are said to have visited the lake and bestowed blessings on the Menmo in the past.
The Tsho was also blessed by many religious saints including Ponlop Khen Rinpoche, His Holiness Tulku Jigme Choedra, His Eminence Namkhai Nyingpo Rinpoche, His Eminence Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche, Peling Sungtrul Rinpoche, Kyabji Thuksey Rinpoche, Kathok Situ Rinpoche, and Buli Tulku among others.
๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐จ
The lakeโs beauty is the appearance of two water birds on occasion. The two ducks are thought to be the lakeโs cleaners. It is believed that the ducks clean the lake every day, removing all the leaves that fell into the lake and clearing all the white bubble-like stuff that has grown over the lake.
Spectacular and unusual sightings that cannot be explained by science have been recorded at the lake site on several occasions. If the visitors are lucky and blessed with merit, Moenmo is said to display her Phodrang, rampart, conch, prayer flag, butter lamp, and flower. People also assume that if they are lucky, they will be given boons such as a conch, pearls, and a valuable urn. Furthermore, the lake is known for its clarity, but if the color darkens and dulls, it is considered an unlucky sign.
The house where the mermaid stayed is still standing today. The fifth generation of the Lui Phodrangโs residents (the palace of the mermaid) still lives there.
๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐จ
Buli Lake remains one of the main attractions for all tourists to the Dzongkhag, thanks to improved road access. The best time of the year to visit Buli Tsho are from December to August (the lake is closed to the public from the 1st day of the 8th month to the 15th day of the 10th month of the Bhutanese calendar), which roughly corresponds to September to November.
The Kheng Buli community has now appointed a caretaker, who is in charge of raising entry fees of Nu. 30 from locals and Nu. 100 from outsiders. The money raised from tourists is used twice a year to make offerings to Tshomen.
