20/04/2023
The Story of Taksang - Tigers Nest 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Taktsang Monastery, famously known as Tiger’s Nest Monastery, is located in Paro district, Bhutan. The monastery is one of the most venerated places of pilgrimage in Bhutan. Taktsang clings to the rock towering 800m (2,600feet) above the valley and is located 2,950m (9,678 feet) above the seal level.
The legend of Taktsang (Tiger's nest) evolved form 747 AD when Guru Padmasmbhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche) chose a cave on a sheer rock face to meditate and meditate with a tigress to subdue the evil spirits in the locality. Legend has it that the tigress was actually Yeshi Tshogyal, a consort of Guru Rinpoche, who has transformed herself into a fearsome animal to subjugate spirits. It is also said that Yeshe Tshogyal transformed herself into a tigress to carry Guru Rinpoche on her back from Singye Dzong in Eastern Bhutan to Taktsang.
Guru Rinpoche then performed meditation at the very same site and emerged in eight incarnated forms (manifestations). The eight forms of manifestations mask dance is performed even today during Paro Tshechu by the monks. Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest monastery) thus became one of the most important Buddhist sacred sites in the Himalayan Buddhist world.
It is believed that Guru Rinpoche meditated in the cave for 3 years 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days before subjugating the malicious spirits, and concealed profound treasures for the benefit of sentient beings.
The climb to the monastery takes around 3 hours at a comfortable pace and the total walking distance is about 4 km one way.