Bhutan: Penis envy

As mentioned previously, the penis is a symbol in Bhutan. Apparently, it wards off evil.

With a group of 14 women traveling together, driving across the countryside because a trip in search of painted penises.

They’re everywhere, and they’re not just for tourists.

Since I have so many photos of penises and not that much to say, I’m going to cut and paste some of the Wiki info given on penises in Bhutan.

Phallus paintings in Bhutan are esoteric symbols, which have their origins in the Chimi Lhakhang monastery near Punakha [I visited here], the former capital of Bhutan. The village monastery was built in honor of Lama Drukpa Kunley who lived in the 15-16th century and who was popularly known as the "Mad Saint" or “Divine Madman” for his unorthodox ways of teaching, which amounted to being bizarre and shocking. These explicit paintings can be seen painted on the walls of houses and buildings throughout Bhutan, particularly in villages. Traditionally symbols of an erect penis in Bhutan have been intended to drive away the evil eye and malicious gossip.

 

The Divine Madman was a crazy saint who extensively travelled in Bhutan, who was fond of women and wine, and adopted blasphemous and unorthodox ways of teaching Buddhism. His sexual exploits included his hosts and promoters. He was utterly devoid of all social conventions and called himself the "Madman from Kyishodruk."

Drukpa Kunley's intention was to shock the clergy, who were uppity and prudish in their behaviour and teachings of Buddhism. However, his ways appealed to lay practioners. It was he who propagated the legend of painting phalluses on walls and flying hanging phalluses from roof tops of houses to drive away evil spirits and subdue demonesses.

Among some communities in eastern Bhutan, every year during a particular period, phalluses are worshipped with flowers, ara [this is some kind of alcohol I had a shot in celebration of my roommate’s 30th birthday, but I have no idea if it had a phallus in it earlier or not. I really hope not.] and milk seeking protection from the evil spirits. In central Bhutan, a wooden phallus is immersed in the cups before the drinks are offered to the guests. Some phalluses, especially in rural Bhutan, are endowed with comic eyes. [Some also have teeth!]

The belief that such a symbol brings good luck and drives away evil spirits is so much ingrained in the psyche of the common populace in Bhutan that the symbols are routinely painted outside walls of the new houses and even painted on number plates of trucks. The carved wooden phalluses are hung (sometimes crossed by a design of sword or dagger) outside, on the eves of the new homes, at the four corners.

 

An interesting ritual is performed in Bhutan, as part of house warming ceremony of new houses, which entails erecting the phallus symbols at the four corners of the eaves of the house and one inside the house. It involves raising  a basket filled with the phalluses carved out of wood to the roof of the house to fix them at the four cardinal corners

[End Wiki quote.]

 

I will add that in one part of the Wiki page it mentioned that they are rarely found in temples, but I did see them in at least one. (I got bored with the temples and stopped going in.) In one, and since you are not allowed to take photos in temples in Bhutan I cannot prove it, to the left of the alter thing was a Budda with quite a hard-on. I kid you not.

So, that was more than anyone needs to know about Bhutan’s penis envy, am I right?