Paro Taktsang (Tiger's Nest)

A Buddhist monastery clinging to a cliff about 900 m above the Paro valley.

The monastery is one of the holiest places in Bhutan. It surrounds a cave where Guru Rinpoche, also called Padmasambhava, is believed to have meditated. He is the teacher honoured for bringing Buddhism to Bhutan more than a thousand years ago. The monastery buildings were put up in 1692 by Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye, one of the country's early rulers. Today it is Bhutan's best-known landmark, and pilgrims and travellers make the long walk up the mountain to reach it.

The legend of the tigress

The name Tiger's Nest comes from a legend. Guru Rinpoche is said to have flown to this cliff on the back of a tigress, then stayed in the cave to meditate and tame a demon that troubled the area. One version of the story says the tigress was really a former queen who changed her shape to carry him. Traditional accounts say he meditated here for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours.

How it was built and rebuilt

The complex has four main temples and living quarters for monks, built right into the rock, plus eight caves around it. In April 1998 a fire broke out in the main building and destroyed many old paintings, statues and treasures, and a monk lost his life. The government and the king oversaw the restoration, and the rebuilt monastery was completed in 2005. Monks who come to practise in the caves traditionally stay for three years.

Visiting today

There is no road to the monastery. Visitors hike a trail of about 6 kilometres in total through pine forest, which takes around four to seven hours there and back. About halfway up is a cafeteria with the first good view of the buildings, and some people rent a small horse or pony to ride up to that point, saving about an hour. Further on, the path passes a waterfall bridge before reaching the temples. In spring the Paro valley holds a big festival, the Tsechu, in honour of Guru Rinpoche.

On the globe

The model shows a Buddhist monastery clinging to a cliff high above the Paro valley. Zoom in on western Bhutan, in the Himalayas, to find it on its rock face.