FLOATING STATUE OF CHUMPHU

Chumphu in Paro can be reached after about four hours hike from the nearest road point at the cremation ground of Chumphu Nye. The hike follows the riverbank through the forest with lots of shade and cool breeze, making the hike quite moderate.

The hiking trail follows the small stream

You will come across several imprints, which documents various activities of Guru Rimpochhe (Padmasambhava) and Dorji Phamo (Vajravarahi) on huge rocks and caves as you climb along the hike path. After two hours or so, you will arrive at a small stupa, which is believed to be the standing on the site from where Vajravarahi offered mendrel (mandala) to Padmasambhava. Mandala offering is a powerful method for accumulating extensive merit in a short time in Buddhist practice. It is said that the merit accumulated by the devotee depends on the purity and quality of offerings that the devotee imagines.

After few meters of hike, you can choose two paths: the longer one and a shorter one. The longer path leads across various waterfalls, ponds and cliffs. There are also various holy springs, which were blessed by Padmasambhava, Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), and Vajravarahi. Thus, drinking few sips of water from these springs is believed to purity your soul and gifts you longer life. You will also come across various meditation caves of Padmasambhava and his consorts, as well as highly regarded Buddhist masters like Terton Drukdra Dorji.

The stupa stands on the site where Vajravarahi offered Mandala

Once you cross the stream several times, you will arrive at the actual temple of Chumphu. The temple is renowned for housing a statue of Vajravarahi, which is suspended in mid-air. The commonly held belief among the devotees is that the statue is in fact the actual Vajravarahi, which remained frozen at Chumphu after She arrived there from Tibet.

Nearby the main temple is another small mediation center of the 9^th Je Khenpo (Chief Abbot of Bhutan) Shakya Rinchen who lived during the sixteenth century. His robes and prayer items are placed in the center. The main temple is also built during his time.

The main temple which houses the floating statue of Vajravarahi

You can also hike further to visit a sacred lake and the famous Tsari nyugma (“the bamboo of Tsari, Tibet”), which is believed to have been brought from Tsari in Tibet.

Since Chumphu is considered the second “Tsari”, the merit of visiting Chumphu is equivalent to a pilgrimage to Tsari in Tibet, which was a holy place discovered by Tsangpa Gyarey.