An alternative legend holds that a former wife of an emperor, known as Yeshe Tsogyal, willingly became a disciple of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambahva) in Tibet. She transformed herself into a tigress and carried the Guru on her back from Tibet to the present location of the Taktsang in Bhutan.
Taktshang is the most famous of monasteries in Bhutan, a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and temple complex built in 1692. It is on a cliff at 3,120 meters (10,200 feet), some 700 meters (2,300 feet) above the bottom of Paro valley, some 10 km from the town of Paro. Famous visitors include Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century and Milarepa.
The name means “Tiger’s nest”. The legend being that Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) flew there on the back of a tiger. The monastery includes seven temples which can all be visited. The monastery suffered several blazes and is a recent restoration.
Taktshang Monastery, Bhutan. Photo by Douglas J. McLaughlin. A popular festival, known as the Tsechu, held in honour of Padmasambhava, is celebrated in the Paro valley sometime during March or April.
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