Item Code: 152/bt-2
Before the break of dawn on the morning of the fifteenth day, a great sacred thongdrel banner thangka depicting the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava is displayed for the public in the early morning hours, to keep to the tradition of not allowing sunlight to fall on it.
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Year
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1985
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Obverse
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The Government
crest, two mythical bird (Bja Tshering) (the bird of long life)
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Reverse
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Paro Dzong at center
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Watermark
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"Royal
Monetary Authority" in top and bottom margin
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Size
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130 x 62 mm
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Obverse description
Royal Government Crest, the National Emblem of Bhutan
A
circle projecting a double diamond thunderbolt placed above the lotus is the National Emblem of Bhutan. There are two dragons on
the either sides and jewels on all the sides. Lotus represents purity; the
thunderbolts harmony between secular and religious power and the jewels
signifies sovereign power. The dragons on the either side, a male and a female,
represent the name of the country. (Druk means
dragon and for the Bhutanese, Bhutan is known as Druk
yul or the Land of the Dragon).
Druk
The Druk is
the "Thunder Dragon"
of Bhutanese mythology and a Bhutanese national
symbol. A druk appears
on the flag of Bhutan,
holding jewels to represent wealth. In Dzongkha(it is a Sino-Tibetan
language spoken by over half a million people in Bhutan), Bhutan is called Druk Yul "Land
of Druk", and Bhutanese
leaders are called Druk Gyalpo, "Thunder Dragon Kings". During the Bhutanese
mock election in 2008,
all four mock parties were called the Druk
Party. Druk tsendhen(national anthem of Bhutan), translates into English as "Kingdom of Druk".
The druk (also
known as a "duk" or "dug") was adopted as an emblem by the Drukpa Lineage,
which originated in Tibet and
spread to Bhutan. According to traditional accounts, when the sect's
founder, Tsangpa Gyare, 1st Gyalwang Drukpa, began to build Ralung Monastery, there was a violent storm. Thunder, or the
"Cloud-Voice," is seen as the roar of the dragon. Deciding that this was an omen, he
named the monastery Drug-Ralung, adding the word "thunder dragon"
to the name. The disciples at the monastery were known as Drugpa, or
"Those of the Thunder." As
of the 1900s, the Grand Lama of Bhutan wore a hat with thunder dragons on it to signify the
origins of the sect. As the sect
became more popular, it set up monasteries in what is now Bhutan,
with the result that the area became known as Dug Yul, or
Land of Thunder, among both Tibetans
and Bhutanese.
 The Flag of Bhutan features Druk |
Reverse description:
Rinpung Dzong, Paro Valley
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The Dzong in the
Paro valley, built in 1646.
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Rinpung Dzong is a large dzong - Buddhist monastery and fortress - of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school in Paro District, Bhutan. It houses the district Monastic Body
and government administrative offices of Paro Dzongkhag. It is listed as a tentative site in Bhutan's Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion.
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Aerial view of Paro
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History: In
the 15th century local people offered the crag of Hungrel at Paro to Lama Drung
Drung Gyal, a descendant of Pajo Drugom Zhigpo. Drung Drung
Gyal built a small temple there and later
a five storied Dzong or fortress which was known as Hungrel Dzong.
In the 17th century, his descendants,
the lords of Hungrel, offered this fortress to the Drukpa hierarch, Ngawang Namgyal,
the Zhabdrung Rinpoche, in recognition of his religious and temporal authority.
In 1644 the Zhabdrung dismantled the existing dzong and laid the foundations of
a new dzong. In 1646
the dzong was reconsecrated and established as the administrative
and monastic centre of the western region and it became known as "Rinpung Dzong".
Some
scenes in the 1993 film Little Buddha were filmed in this dzong.
Festivals: A
great annual festival or tshechu is
held at Rinpung Dzong from the eleventh to the fifteenth day of the second month
of the traditional Bhutanese lunar calendar (usually in March or April of the Gregorian calendar). On this occasion,
holy images are taken in a procession. This is followed by a series of
traditional mask dances conveying religious stories which are performed by
monks for several days.
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Dance of the Black
Hats with Drums
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Paro Tsechu festival
of dances
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Before the break of dawn on the morning of the fifteenth day, a great sacred thongdrel banner thangka depicting the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava is displayed for the public in the early morning hours, to keep to the tradition of not allowing sunlight to fall on it.
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