My pictures with their little stories

Ceremonial chanting at Gangtey Gonpa A ten day festival commenced on the same day as we reached Gangtey in Phobjikha valley. We were fortunate to witness part of the colourful ceremony and chanting by the monks who are residents at the Gangtey monastery . We were welcome to see around and offered much needed tea in the evening.

Drinking Ara at Gangtey, Bhutan The stay at Gangtey in Phobjikha valley was at a local house which belonged to Kelzang Dawa who is a wood carver and his hard working wife Killey Zam who manages the house with three sons and cooks meals for the guests. Amenities were basic but I parked myself in the large kitchen and dining area where I chatted with all the family members and played with kids while sipping homemade Ara , which is a local brew made from fermented wheat.

Colours at Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan The driver must have been fed up with me due to the countless requests I made for stopping on the way while we were passing through Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park in Bhutan . Being very gentle, he did not protest and in fact started anticipating places where I would want to stop by. The colours of the trees in the thick vegetation in this forest was nothing less than a treat to the eyes.

Texture on the wall at Gangtey Gonpa, Bhutan There is this imposing wall to the right on way to Gangtey Gonpa in Phobjikha Valley in Bhutan .  The wall is obviously quite old.  Time and weather seemed to have played magic and created a wonderful textural effect.  The range of emotions these textures aroused were as varied as the patterns created - beauty, awe, complexity, mystery, melancholy, seeking answers and what not...It was a great experience to shoot these. The light was fading fast so there was not much time available. 

Cypress tree at Kyichu Lhakhang, Paro Cypress is the national tree of Bhutan and it was good to see a giant Cypress tree at Kyichu Lhakhang , Paro which happens to be one of oldest monasteries in Bhutan.

Looking out from the door of the cantilever bridge at Paro Dzong While I was appreciating the play of shadows on the wooden cantilever bridge of Paro Dzong , I happened to look in the  other direction and saw a totally different perspective. Things can be so different and beautiful on the other side as well.

Monks returning from an evening stroll to Gangtey Gonpa, Bhutan Gangtey Gonpa is an important monastery in the scenic Phobjikha valley . It is a small village with one street lined up with several shops. The monastery here is historically important and houses several monks. Our walk around the village coincided with the evening stroll of the monks from the monastery.

Taktsang (Tiger's Nest), Paro Like everything in Bhutan, there are several tales associated with Taktsang also known as Tiger's Nest, which is a wonderful monastery. Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) who brought Buddhism to Bhutan is said to have meditated here. He is also supposed to have flown here on the back of a tigress. It is a beautiful climb and reminded me of the climb to Kedarnath, although the climb to Kedarnath is much longer and harder and even more beautiful. It was extremely irritating to pushed aside by the constant stream of horses who were carrying those who were not fit as well as many who seemed fit but preferred not to walk this beautiful path. The green cover all around with liberal doses of red rhododendron flowers could not be missed.

Masked dancers at Ura village festival near Bumthang, Bhutan Mask dance was one of the most eagerly awaited dances at the Ura village festival near Bumthang in Bhutan. Colourful attires, fearful masks and music which was certainly not soft was an experience we were happy not to have missed. All these costumes and the masks are manifestations of deep rooted beliefs on which this society lives. The power of faith and tradition is amazing.

Green at Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan Driving through Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park in Bhutan was an experience in looking at green. I had never seen so many hues of green colour in one place. This was one forest where I could have stopped repeatedly to shoot pictures.

Buddha Dordenma statue at Thimphu, Bhutan The 51.5 meters bronze statue of Gautam Buddha at Thimphu , Bhutan is an imposing structure. It cannot be visualized without seeing it in real life. It was crafted in China and brought to Bhutan in distinct pieces to be assembled at site. While the structure is imposing with the necessary grandeur, I doubt if this comes close to the serenity of Buddha which can be experienced in several monasteries.

Pleasant surprise - sighting of the train While driving from Bagdogra to Phuentsholing which is the point of entry into Bhutan from north Bengal side, noticed a single line railway track running parallel to the road for quite some time.  Sure enough, a train appeared. Realised that it was going quite slow. The fields and the train traversing the plains has always been a visual I do not want to miss. In fact, I consider the cinematographic sequence in " Pather Panchali " by Satyajit Ray as one of the best constructed sequences of all times in which Apu and Durga run through the fields to get a sighting of the train when they hear the train whistle from a distance.