Kitiphu, an eye to Bumthang

Kitiphu, at a distance

If I were a vulture, I couldn’t possibly have known how high this beautiful mountain touched the sky. Kitiphu is one of the most wonderful ridges I have ever been to. Having Tharpaling monastery, once the seat of Kuenkhen longchen Rabjam, at its feet, this holy mountain stands up to about 7,500 meters above the sea level. I’ve been living in Bumthang ever since I was born but I could make it to Kitiphu only a few weeks ago. Thank god that a reason and a strong determination came up to string some lungdar(prayer flags) on that mountain.

The main reason why people go to Kitiphu is to put up prayer flags considering the fact that we gain luck if we do so. I’ve also been told that during the second king’s reign, this mountain used to be a bypass between the then two capitals, Bumthang and Kuenga Rabten(Trongsa). I wonder how people could have been able to walk for days, sleep under trees and cook beside the paths.

the mountain ranges we could see from Kitiphu

The winter wind blew so hard that it could push us off the steep edges. It was my father’s advice to start early from home to avoid from the harsh weather. The four-hour-walk (which was actually just about two hours) sipped all my energy and I was barely walking before reaching up to the top. I constantly needed to eat and drink on the way.  For once I felt like I could never, in my life, be able to reach up there. But the beautiful mountain did not fail to pull me up. What kept me going were also the little caves and cliffs on the chest of the mountain which held mysterious stories about nuns and monks who flew away after their meditation.

the mountain ranges in the west

Reaching up was like literally reaching the top of the world. The beautiful prayer flags painted the mountain so colourfully and it glowed just under the azure sky. I felt like I’ve lost all my weight and become like one of those models from Victoria’s Secret. The blue sky looked just a foot above my head and beneath was the whole valley of Bumthang. My father said that kitiphu is like an eye to Bumthang. And sure it was when I got there, we could see the Tang valley and Ura in the East, the historic Jakar dzong which beamed among the green trees and of course Chumey which was the clearest. The fields which lay barren in winter mazed the valley and tiny houses were what we could see among them.

The chhoekor valley of Bumthang

on the way back

Just like how the dwarves from J.R.R Tolkien’s “the Hobbit” feel when they reach the Lonely Mountain(their home), I was the happiest person when I finally got to Kitiphu. The air washed away all the weariness, anger; sorrow and monster in me that I never wanted to come back from there. I was in love with that mountain!