LAM DRUKPA KUNLEY MUTED PUNA-TSANGCHU

LAM DRUKPA KUNLEY MUTED PUNA-TSANGCHU

While I couldn’t allude oral information to any written travelogue or epic of the legendary hermit, Lam Drukpa Kunley (1455-1529); the folks of Wangdue and Punakha valleys believe that it was Drukpa Kunley who harrowed and silenced the mighty cascading Puna-tsangchhu beginning right from Changyul, Punakha until the down-rush point below Wangdue dzong. 

Commuters traveling to Tsirang, Gelephu and Dagana will notice that Puna-tsangchhu flows peacefully southward and becomes suddenly turbulent with high rapids as it reaches Khenpajichu, nearly one KM south of Wangdue bridge. 

According to a source, it says, Lam Drukpa Kunley was spotted harrowing the mighty river by farmers who were also ploughing fields alongside the river bank. Curious, the farmers happened to ask Lam. Lam in response told that in the future, a renowned Drukpa Kagyu Lama would visit the region, build two dzongs along the river bank and institute large monastic bodies in them. Lam also added that should he not mute the rushing river now, it would remain too noisy for the monks to study peacefully by then. 

Lam Drukpa Kunley visited Bhutan in the mid of 15 century and the renowned Drukpa Kagyu Lam that he prophesied happened to be Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal who would later built Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang dzongs in the 17th century.