Chimmi Lhakhang is one of the most famous temples in the country because of its significance. It is attributed to the maverick Lam Drukpa Kuenley, a fine example of the Tibetan tradition of “crazy wisdom.” He was born in Tibet, trained at Ralung monastery, and a contemporary and disciple of Pema Lingpa, the famous treasure finder of Bhutan.
He traveled the length and breadth of Bhutan and Tibet as a Neljorpa (yogi), using songs, humor, and outrageous behavior to dramatize his teachings to the ordinary person. He probably felt that the stiffness of the clergy and social conventions prevented ordinary people from learning the actual teachings of Buddha. So, in a way, his outrageous, often obscene actions and sexual antics were deliberate tactics developed by him to provoke people to discard their inhibitions and preconceptions and concentrate on more profound aspects of life.
Ngawang Choegyel built Chimmi Lhakhang in 1499; later, the site was blessed by Drukpa Kuenley. Lama Drukpa Kuenley built the small Chorten (stupa), located adjacent to the temple.
Lama Drukpa Kuenley’s unorthodox teachings of the Dharma through sexual exploits became legendary even as flying phalluses on ropes and strings high above rooftops of houses or brightly painted on walls are enduring testaments of his fame that spread far and wide across the kingdom.
Chimmi Lhakhang is widely known as the ‘fertility temple’ in Bhutan. There are numerous anecdotes about childless tourists who traveled to Bhutan to pay homage at Chimmi Lhakhang to beget a child. Likewise, local couples religiously pay homage to Drukpa Kuenley as the father of fertility.
Unlike other temples in Bhutan, if you happen to go to Chimmi Lhakhang, the caretaker Lama blesses pilgrims, even unsuspecting ones with a wooden phallus along with the bow and arrow believed to have once belonged to Lam Drukpa Kuenley. Likewise, the woman who desires or longs to bear a child is made to carry a massive wooden phallus and circumambulate the temple three times.
If a newborn acquires the name from Chimmi Lhakhang, the first name invariably turns out to be ‘Kinley’. So if you happen to know somebody named Kinley, ask him how he got his name!
Although Chimmi Lhakhang is known through the divine madman, the saint who carried the thunderbolt of wisdom, on the contrary, visitors won’t find any phallic symbols on the temple walls. Moreover, they are generally not depicted in community temples and dzongs, which are places of worship where lamas and other Buddhist monks and nuns have adopted a celibate lifestyle, pursuing religious and spiritual attainment.
Around the vicinity of Chimmi Lhakhang, handicraft and painting shops are mushrooming everywhere, but the most common item you find is wooden phalluses of all shapes and sizes. It is generally believed that wearing or keeping a phallus will ward off evils. Therefore, I reckon you buy one for yourself if you happen to be around chimmi Lhakhang.