Bhutan, as I have mentioned before, is a Buddhist nation, and has been for centuries. However, their particular branch of Buddhism, especially their religious symbols, differ from those in other Buddhist countries like Tibet. One key example of this is the phallus. Walking around a Bhutanese town you will find phallic art drawn on the walls of houses, wooden phallic statues in monasteries and even women wearing phallic necklaces. This unorthodox religious symbol has elicited diverse reactions from foreigners and monks visiting from other countries and has become somewhat of a tourist attraction. Many travellers to Bhutan take selfies with the symbol and go on a ‘treasure hunt’ of sorts to seek out the street art.
Before we go on lets first explore the origin of this bizarre symbol. It all began in the 15-16th century in the Chimi Lhakhang monastery; the Lama Drukpa Kunley, also known as the ‘Divine Madman’, had a rather odd way of teaching and preaching Buddhism. He is said to love women and wine and clearly did not follow the norm of being a celibate monk. He was said to hit women over the head with a wooden phallus to increase fertility and some sources say he gave out blessings in the form of sex. Moreover, the symbols were painted on roofs and walls to drive away evil spirits.
Today, the symbol represents similar things, it is drawn on houses to protect the occupants from evil spirits and women wear the symbol to increase fertility. Even the younger generations of Bhutanese people are embracing the symbol as an integral part of their culture. For a westerner, this symbol seems either shocking and inappropriate or humorous but many of Bhutan’s religious ceremonies contain sexual innuendo and it is seen as vital to spirituality. They embrace it as a natural part of life instead of shying away like many other cultures.
In western culture even today, sex and symbols associated with it are relatively taboo, especially in a public space. Bhutan, on the other hand, has it ingrained in their spiritual culture as an important symbol and a form of protection. This form of street art is bizarre but also demonstrates some of the unique aspects of Bhutanese culture and life.
Going Places - Bhutan 