ABOUT RALUNG CHUM

When Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel fled Ralung, Tibet, in 1616, he was not accompanied by the human disciples alone. Several esoteric elements, generally referred to in Buddhism as Dharmapala (deities), joined the entourage. Legend says, like the emotions human beings carry when our closed ones depart, non-human worldly guardians also do the same towards their custodial guru. Thus, inundated with heavy emotions, virtually all the deities of Ralung travelled to the south along with the Zhabdrung. 

Although less known, one of the crucial companions was Ralung Chum or the 'affluent lady of Ralung'. Oral sources state, she was the one who blessed the devotees of the Zhabdrung with wealth and fortune. She falls under the category of Lû (Skt. Nagas). Lû, according to the Buddhists and Hindus, is the deity of wealth. Symbolically, snakes are associated with nagas. 

Uma dzong has a long history associated with the Zhabdrung. Amid the power struggle with the Five Lams, the Zhabdrung's confidant and chef, Drubthob Bjatang Pekar Tashi had been dispatched along with some men to Uma to take over the region from Lam Neyingpa Jetsunma. Lam Neyingpa was one of the Five Lams who challenged the unification of Bhutan. Pekar Tashi was successful and Jetsunma fled to Tibet following the strategic defeat.

To mark the victory, Pekar Tashi replaced Gelug with the Kagyue tradition. According to oral sources, Pekar Tashi was bestowed with the 'Pönlop title' and became the first Uma Pönlop. Some say he was historically the first person to hold the Pönlop title in Bhutan. During his reign, he brought in Ralung Chum, a round stone that is associated with the deity. If you happen to visit Uma dzong, you will come across a Lum (a small stupa) where milk and nyendhar (money) are offered.

According to the caretaker, Ap Gathey, he has seen a snake often curl up the stupa. There are several others who spotted the snake. For the snake to enter and exit, two holes have been maintained on the ground floor of the Lhakhang. He also states that Ralung Chum blesses couples who wish to bear children. He narrates the story of a desperate couple who couldn't bear a child for many years, finally conceived weeks after their visit. The husband was said to have spotted the snake on the day of their visit. 

To authenticate whether a monument is truly that of Zhabdrung's legacy, Ap Gathey says, one revelatory sign is to figure out whether the monument holds the Ralung Chum's stupa somewhere in the basement. According to him, Simtokha, Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang dzongs have the stupa of Ralung Chum.

Where is Uma dzong? 

It is located in Uma under Daga gewog, Wangdue Phodrang, approximately 9KM uphill from Baychhu at Wangdue—Tsirang highway.