Between school children who are seeking good scores in the forthcoming exams to youth vying for visa for foreign shores, there was a huge crowd at Dechenphu yesterday. Then there were those who were leaving for Australia. Talked to few of them.

Dechenphu is the most popular temple in Bhutan. It registers thousands of visitors every day and a couple of hundred thousands ngultrums in offering. The revenue, supposedly, helps support couple of nearby monasteries.

The deity, Genyen Jakpa Melen, is supposed to be very responsive to any help sought from him, be it to get good grades in school to winning an archery match. He is believed to protect you from obstacles when embarking on a journey.

When I visited this time, there was a long queue extending in the courtyard. Interestingly, not many bothered, or didn’t know, that the small shrine in the courtyard is actually where the deity Jakpa Melen resides, or where he is supposed to have immersed into after being subdued by a 14th century Drukpa lama, Jamyang Kunega Sengye – and is believed to emerge only when an enlightened being appears in the vicinity.

No one was paying respect there and instead everyone was squeezing into the tall temple that I gave up getting inside and instead paid my respect to the deity at this small shrine, and then visited the Guru Sungjoen in the temple above.

If you go to Dechenphu, do not forget to make your offerings at this shrine. Actually if you just do it there, it is as good as getting into the main temple.

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