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Bhutanese Perspective of Phallus

The phallus is the integral part of Bhutanese paintings. If you happen to visit Bumthang (not necessarily sticking to it) you will see that every corner of the wall of the house bear a clear picture of phallus. Some prefer to paint; others curve the proxy and hang it by the corner of the roof or in the door itself. Sometime it is embarrassing that the first one to welcome you in home is the giant Phallus. But looking deeper into the meaning, one would appreciate why it is there.

The Phallus is seen in Bhutanese homes in many forms. Some are painted scary red on the wall while others are hung from the four corners of the roof. In other parts of the country, the phallus is erected in the post at the front of the house. Still few prefer to keep it right at the entrance, hard and pointed.

The perspective of phallus I present here is restricted to my own hallucination and nothing of the serious research findings. But as far as I have heard people explain, especially when tourist are around with a camera and suddenly they turn to the guide and ask, “What is that?” “Drukpa Kuenley’s lacha”, come the prompt reply.

But seriously, the phallus is in Bhutanese homes probably because they think that the picture itself can drive out the evil spirits. The presence of phallus in homes keeps away misfortune, sickness, worry and hardships from homes. Since the phallus is related to Drukpa Kuenley (divine Madman) it is considered as sacred and is revered and respected.

I only wonder why invest time and money when there are enough live phallus at home of varying sizes and shapes. So, next time you build a house, never bother to paint or hang instead live under the refugee of blessings of what you already got!!!

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 1, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    Ah, but what we men got are not erect all the time, nor can we erect on demand, therein a wooden or painted simulacrum in full bloom is more efficient.

    ReplyDelete

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