Chimi lhakhang is perched on a gentle hill in Lobesa under Thimphu Dzongkhag. Its 15 minutes walk from the road point to the monastery. The site offers a panoramic view of the Punatsangchu River and Wangdue Phodrang town.
History
Lama Drukpa Kuenley, commonly known as the divine madman for his obscene behavior, traveled extensively in western and central Bhutan exercising his holy powers to subdue devils and liberate people from sufferings.
He had the premonition to subdue the demonesses of Dochula. It was believed that three demonesses resided at Dochula harming the people who frequently travelled the way.
Accordingly an incident took place at Dochula – a highway pass between Thimphu and Wangdi Phodrang, during one of his visits in western Bhutan. He met with a cow herder driving home his cattle. It was past dusk and darkness swayed allover. The boy requested the stranger to befriend him to reach home. But the Lama asked the boy why he needed a friend. The boy told that the demonesses of Dochula, Sinchula and Helela reigned the place and he is scared to be eaten by them. The Lama understood the situation and asked the boy to close his eyes and imagine having reached home. True to his imagination, the boy was home when he opened his eyes.
Lama Drukpa Kuenley then tied an ox to a tree while he himself hid in the deep cover of the tree. The demonesses appeared to eat their prey. As they approached the ox, Lama appeared from the tree and chased them. The three demonesses transformed themselves into one person. The chase reached till the place called Loro where the present Lhakhang is located. In the morning, the demonesses turned themselves into a red dog. The Lama knew it and subdued the dog and buried it upside down under the earth. He constructed a black stupa on its grave and prophesized that a temple would be built at this place in future. He named the stupa as Chimi lhakhang. (Chi: dog; mi: no).
True to the prophecy, it was no other than Lama Ngawang Chogyal, the younger brother of Lama Drukpa Kuenley, who built a temple at this place in 1499. This effort also fulfilled the prophecy of spreading dharma laid down by Lama Drukpa Kuenley.
Lama Drukpa Kuenley was a great Buddhist saint with extraordinary spiritual prowess. He used the phallus as a ‘medium’ to subdue and discipline the malevolent spirits. The use of phallus was also intended to free up the social inhibitions enforced by the socially established values.
Today, one of the relics of this temple is a phallus. The blessing of the phallus is considered sacred especially to barren women as it brings fertility to women and bears those offspring.
People come to receive blessings even from other countries to gain fertility to have offspring.
People also seek names of their new born child from this temple. All the names given have the common name of ‘Kuenley’ attributing to the founder of the temple – Lama Drukpa Kuenley.
The main relic of the temple is the statue of Lama Drukpa Kuenley, the founder that sits majestically in the middle of the altar. The statue was sculpted during his time.
The legend has it that Lama Drukpa Kuenley asked the statue if he can represent him in his absence. The statue replied positively and remained there as the true representative of the lama.
The main deity of the temple is the Demoness of Loro. The demoness used to reside in the area next to the confluence of the rivers and next to where the temple stands. She took the lives of people traveling from the way near that confluence.
When Lama Drukpa Kuenley went to her she showed her terrifying form emerging from the river. Her form was half human and half snake. Unchallenged by her manifestations, Lama subdued her. She was then advised to be the protecting guardian deity of the temple. She was named as Chokim.
The lhakhang had been renovated and restored several times by many eminent saints and handed to the community. However, the community failed to maintain it properly.
Thus, when Tenzin Dendup the 69th Je Khenpo visited the lhakhang, he empathized with the grave situation of the temple and deputed an abbot for the first time in 1987. Since than the lhakhang is being taken care off by the central monastic body with an abbot deputed for an indefinite tenure. A mass restoration of the temple took over eight years after which it was consecrated by Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choda in 1998. He also ordered to start a monastic school which now accommodates 50 young monks.
The sertog or the golden pinnacle is also being installed under the auspicies of the Fourth King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
The people of the community organize Nyungney, a fasting ritual, in the first month of the Bhutanese calendar.
One of the important rituals performed is in honour of Namkha Dem, the consort of Lama Drukpa Kuenley from Pachakha near Chimi lhakhang. Her residence is converted into a temple as well. It is said that she offered all her properties and belongings to Lama and some are still seen in the temple. Yeshey Gonpo – the protecting deity of Bhutan is also worshipped and rituals conducted in his honour. The tradition of conducting Tshechu, a religious festival which was discontinued is now revived and performed every year. A three-day Kuchoe (death anniversary ritual of Drukpa Kuenley) is performed in the first month of the Bhutanese calendar.