Sat 25, 2008: A trip was organized by the support staff of Sherubtse College to visit a historical religious site at Yongla gonpa and my friend Kato invited us to join him. By the morning of Sat 25, there were five of us, Getty, Sumjay, Rinzin, Kato and me who joined the group. The journey was delayed like most of the journey here usually does with the bus coming late. By the time, Getty and Sumjay had prepared a 'packed dinner' while Kato and me brought the tent from the college. When the bus arrived Rinzin was running late forgetting to bring Sonam Choden with him. And it was delayed some more trying to pick up rest of the people along the way. By the time we got rolling, the time had already passed 2:30 pm. We were at least satisfied that we could finally move. A stop at Khaling cost us another few hours and another one at Wamrong. When we finally reached Yongla Gonpa, it was almost 9:00 pm. But the fun part of the journey was just beginning. We tried to pitch the tent in front of the Gonpa and to our frustration the tent billowed into a small Eskimos' igloo-like compartment barely comfortable for two people. Luckily some one had a larger tent which he didn't need. And we we needed a larger tent. So the problem was solved.
The monks at the Yongla gonpa was extraordinarily generous. The tea and snacks were waiting for us. And as we sipped the tea, I was particularly grateful to drink a warm tea in a chilling wind that was blowing the night of Yongla Gonpa. I had forgotten how hungry I was as we brought together all of our 'packed dinner' in the common room. The many spiced meals, dried beef braised in hot red chillies, fried dry fishes, and beans in cheeses were soon the delight of our hungry stomachs. Glad that GNH was achieved, we headed to our camp but the night didn't end there. kato let out that it was his birthday, the day he first came to this glorious earth from the outer space :)... Three candles were lit, birthday songs were sung and then we played a game of cards. A bottle of home concocted ara was making the rounds and whoever won the game allowed us all the chance for one drink. Winning was good. And more we won more we drank and soon it was fuming hot in our little tent. We must have slept a little before 12 pm.
At 4:30 the gong of the temple was ringing loudly and in a little while the morning prayers reverberated the silent space of Yongla Gonpa. The sky was clear in the morning and the view was spectacular; a 360 degree panoramic extravagant land stretches of small hills and distant hillocks. To the south is Dewangiri, where Jigme Namgyel led his campaign of counterstrike against the British in pre-monarchy Bhutan. And purportedly Jigme Namgyel shot the British commander from the spot at Yongla Gonpa, the bullet guided by Yeshey Gonpo right to the middle of the commander's forehead. This is least known fact but the bullet was reportedly loaded by one Kato of whose history was lost in time. The lhakhang was then open for visitation. The lhakhang has three stories, the ground floor is dedicated to the fearsome Dorji Drolo and Phurpa Lhatshog, the second floor has Guru and the third Goenkhang. A rare terma was shown to us by the caretaker, a rather amazing piece with a clawed head and the general shape of phurpa at the end. It was discovered by Khendrup Jigme Kuendrel. A cap of Khendrup Jigme Kuendrel still lies on the head of his statue and a flat rotund stone can be found in front of the Gonpa where Jigme Kuendrel used to sit. A many prostrations were made to the deities and gods. A five minutes walk took us to yet another lhakhang. The caretaker explains us that it is dedicated to Tsheringma, who blesses people with wealth, fortune, longevity and supposedly nyindro, (life-partner). The die was cast. And we were blessed.
The monks in their kindness had meals prepared for us. After the meals and thanking the senior monks profusely we made our headway to our next destination, PemaGatshel.
PemaGathsel, the Glorious Land of Lotus or Khedung as it was known previously is another half and hour drive from Yongla Gonpa. There is nothing much to see in PemaGatshel, (Don't expect to find lots of lotus because there is not a single offshoots growing there). But the villages of Yurung, Khar, Tsebar and Nangkor looks grand on the lowly mountains. A gypsum quarry in lower valley of PemaGatshel bore a blemish but the minerals mined from that place was something.
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