Taktsang Monastery, Tiger’s Nest

Taktsang Monastery, popularly known as the Tiger’s Nest temple is the Bhutan’s most famous monastery perched on the side of a cliff 900m above the Paro valley. According to legend, Guru Padsambhava is said to have flown on the back of a tigress from Singye Dzong in Lhuntse to meditate in a cave where Taktsang Monastery now stands and hence it’s called the ‘Tigers Nest’. It was from there, he propagated the Vajrayana- Mahayana Buddhism (Larger Wheel) that was prophesied by the Buddha at the time of attaining Nirvana. This site has been recognized as a most sacred place and visited by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1646 and now visited by all Bhutanese at least once in their lifetime. On 19 April, 1998, a fire severely damaged the main structure of building but now this Bhutanese jewel has been restored to its original splendour. The hike to reach the viewpoint to the monastery makes for a nice half-day excursion.