Last week I posted a photo on Facebook from Bhutan. It was a wooden carving that was in a bathroom at a restaurant somewhere in the middle of the country. There’s no way around this other than to say it was a penis (see below).
The photo got a lot of comments. And I received an email from a professional colleague who told me that she opened up her Facebook page in a conference room during a meeting and, voila, there was my image, top of page. She thought it was hilarious, by the way. (And I spent the weekend bursting into laughter every time I pictured this happening in the conference room.)
On Facebook, I tossed the image out there with no context other than a brief follow up note. I thought it would be good to demystify the use of the phallic symbol in Bhutan and go into a bit more detail here…
Most Bhutanese trace the history of this symbolic image back to the Divine Madman in the 15th and 16th centuries. This revered Lama was known for his special brand of Buddhism that used shocking behavior (he was a drinker and philanderer) as a way to bring Buddhism to the masses.
It’s believed that the Divine Madman (aka Lama Drukpa Kunley), would hit evil spirits with his penis and turn them into protective deities. One story that the Bhutanese guides love to tell is how he peed on a devotee’s religious thangka (banner). The devotee was, understandably, quite upset but discovered the next day that the pee had turned to gold.
In Bhutan, the phallic symbol is imbued with the power to ward off evil spirits, malicious gossip and to subdue demons (and demonesses). And in the case of the Divine Madman, apparently, is able to turn things into gold.
Today, phallic symbols are found painted on houses and buildings and wooden carvings hang from corners of homes along the eves and, as in the above photo, from fence posts (though the year after I took this photo, this carving disappeared).
Today, it’s generally discouraged to paint these on homes in urban areas. In my 5 years of
travel to this Kingdom, I have to (sadly) admit that I’ve noticed fewer of them. I say “sadly” because this is a practice that the Bhutanese have followed for centuries and, I fear, as the country sees an influx of tourists, they are likely being more sensitive to shocked travelers and are discouraging the use of these (well the fake ones, at least) in the cities.
I have to admit that it is a bit uncomfortable, at first, to see all the large penises being freely displayed throughout the country. But ya kinda get used to it. And then you realize that unlike in North America – where we are totally uptight about sex yet totally sex-obsessed – the Bhutanese think nothing of their magic phalli. While we’re laughing uncomfortably at the penis paintings, they are laughing at us at we giggle through our shock.
Perhaps I should start a tour called 50 Shades of Bhutan!
If you’re interested in visiting Bhutan and seeing this all up close and personal, check out our tours to Bhutan on the WanderTours website.
Travel Well,
Beth
Related links:
Bhutan Paro Festival – Photo of the Day
Bhutan Re-imagined – Photo of the Day
Carol Perehudoff says
Nice article – crazy pics! There is also a phallic forest in Bangkok – women who want children leave bizarre wooden penis offerings of all shapes and sizes dedicated to the goddess Chao Mae Tuptin (who lives in a ficus tree). It’s spectacular and intimate and I visit every time I’m there. Thanks for posting this.
Beth Whitman - Wanderluster says
No way, Carol. I’ll be in Bangkok in the fall – will definitely have to check this out if only to create a follow-up post. Thanks for sharing!
Lenore Greiner says
Does anyone else find this prolific display of penises positively Pythonesque?
travel magazine uk says
Would hit evil spirits with his penis and turn them into protective deities AWESOME article:)