Memorial Chorten is one of Thimphu's most recognizable landmarks and is located in the city's center. Throughout the day, visitors will see old Bhutanese folks circumambulating the Chorten. Chorten literally means "Seat of Faith," and Buddhists typically refer to such structures as the "Mind of Buddha." With its beautiful murals and detailed sculptures, the Chorten is an outstanding example of Buddhist architecture and artwork.
National Memorial Chorten entrance
Who built Thimphu chorten?
The chorten's construction has been created to show it as "one of Thimphu's most conspicuous religious buildings." The Memorial Chorten, located in the center of the city, is a Tibetan-style chorten, also known as the Jangchup Chorten, modeled like a classical stupa, with a pyramidal pillar capped by a crescent moon and sun. It was erected in 1974 in memory of Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, 3rd Druk Gyalpo.
The distinctive characteristic here is the outward flaring of the rounded section to provide the appearance of a vase (a pyramidal shape), as opposed to a dome shape. The chorten portrays a great number of larger-than-life representations of wrathful deities with their feminine consorts.
Memorial Chorten Architecture
The chorten is a big white tower crowned by a golden spire and a smaller golden spire over the front porch. It is accessed by a tiny garden and a gate with three slate carvings. The three guardian bodhisattvas – Avalokitesvara (the symbol of compassion), Majur (the symbol of wisdom), and Vajrapi (the sign of strength – are depicted on the gate's exterior. Slates depicting images of Ngawang Namgyal, Gautama Buddha, and Padmasambhava are carved on the inside.
To the left are large prayer wheels. On a daily basis, many elderly Bhutanese visit the chorten to circumambulate it, whirl the big red prayer wheels, and pray before the shrine. It has four gates, but only one is available to devotees who wish to visit the shrine. To the left are large prayer wheels. On a daily basis, many elderly Bhutanese visit the chorten to circumambulate it, whirl the big red prayer wheels, and pray before the shrine. It has four gates, but only one is available to devotees who wish to visit the shrine.
The Chorten is circumambulated solely in a clockwise orientation (reciting prayers and whirling the enormous red prayer wheels), as is the case with other religious sites in Bhutan. The Monlam Prayer Festival is celebrated here, and the Je Khenpo (Bhutan's religious leader) addresses and blesses all who gather for the event.
Where is the National Memorial Chorten?
The National Memorial Chorten is located at the Thimphu City Centre in Bhutan. You can drive all the way to this place. Other tourists attraction in Thimphu include the Dzong, the World’s largest mountaintop statue of Buddha Dordenma, Thangka painting gallery. In addition, there are other tourist attractions like the historic house full of artifacts, monasteries, traditional paper mill, etc. Also, read Top 10 Spectacular places to visit in Bhutan and if you are interested in knowing even more in detail then the best guide would be Lonely Planet Bhutan.
Here in this place, you will find a lot of elderly people near the gain prayer wheels. If you are into Portrait photography then these people can be an ideal subject. Just make sure to request them if it is ok to capture their photos.
Having the right hiking accessories is super important to have a pleasant hassle-free experience. I have been on multiple weeklong high-altitude Himalayan treks in the last few years. And in this blog post, I will be sharing all of these details based on my experience of trekking in the mountains.
Having a good quality trekking backpack of min 60 liters is one of the most important hiking accessories. Do not blindly get some random backpack that is not designed for your back. This is an important point to consider when you are carrying your backpack and that too for a week-long trek. If you are suffering from back pain then you might want to consider offloading the backpack. I usually offload my bag as I carry another 8 kgs of a camera backpack.
Hiking Daypack - 10L
Hiking daypack is mainly used when you go around the campsite for a short hike and to carry some of the hiking accessories like water bottles, a small point-and-shoot camera, etc. If you planning to offload your main trekking backpack then the daypack will be one of the mandatory hiking accessories.
Trekking Shoes
Blisters are a common thing when you go on long hikes and this happens when your legs are not comfortable with the shoes that you are wearing. You can either rent shoes if you are not into regular hiking or if you are concerned about hygiene and love to hike more often then I would highly recommend buying Forclaz 500 shoes which are ideal for hiking. You can easily use these shoes for at least 8 to 10 Himalayan weeklong treks. The shoe may be used even in snow or rain as it is waterproof and provides good breathing.
Clothing
For a week-long trek, I would recommend having 2 or max 3 full-sleeve shirts. Full sleeve to avoid skin tan. Covering your body is the best way to avoid tanning than any cream.
Pant made into shorts while crossing a stream during the 10 days hike in Goa, India.
Also, have 2 quick-dry pants that are convertible to shorts. Converting it to shorts is super helpful when you want to spend time at the campsite or while crossing the stream etc. These 2-in-1 pants are a bit expensive but totally worth it.
Duck feather full-arm down jacket is a must for sub-zero or temperatures of below 5 degrees.
Cold weather woolen gloves. Also, on top of this have a waterproof gloves.
Inner thermals one pair or max 2 for a weeklong trek. You wear thermals only at campsite and not while hiking. Even if it cold in the mornings, just have a wind proof jacket and not a down jacket or thermals.
Do not cover your ears with cotton. You will get acclamatized sooner without them at higher altitudes. Instead have a woolen cap or a simple biker's mask will do.
Swiss Knife or similar knife from other brands. Always must-have hiking accessories where ever you go. There are many cheaper models with almost similar features. Make sure it has a knife, scissors, screwdrivers, etc.
Wind proof jacket for morning and evening cold weather while hiking. Also it can act as rain cover too.
Or you can go for a Poncho, not that comfortable like having a wind proof jacket but you can quickly wear it in no time if there is a sudden rainfall. Poncho can cover your top portion of the body along with your daypack.
Biker's Mask or Head Band
The most underrated inexpensive hiking accessories. I use it all the time to prevent myself from burning the sun to avoid skin tan than using the expensive SPF sunscreen creams. These are super breathable, you just need to get used to it a bit. Decathlon has some super thin and quick dry Biker's mark for a low price. You can even use it from wind to cover your ears and also as a headscarf. Check out the video below.
https://youtu.be/TT-FnH6a8ME
Sunglasses
Have good quality sunglasses especially if you prefer winter treks under heavy snow. All this can also help you with skin tan or dark circles around your eyes usually seen after the trek. With the headband and sunglasses, your face will usually be covered fully, and on top, you have the suncap.
Suncap
When you consider a suncap, it is not just any other cap. The one that is made specifically for trekkers is an ideal thing to buy. It has an extended skirt on the backside covering your neck. Also, if it is cold at campsites you might want to cover your head with a woolen cap.
Sleeping Bag Liner
A sleeping bag liner is not one of the mandatory hiking accessories, but I would highly recommend carrying one if you are concerned about hygiene. These days even the liners are provided by hiking groups but they are not lightweight and take a lot of space. The one that is mentioned can be folded to the size of a mobile phone and is super light and keeps you warm.
It is better to carry a headlamp than a torch. Not just any other headlamp but a good one where you can switch between regular light and night (red/blue) light, useful when you are in a group.
Hiking Pole
The hiking pole provides additional balance and support. Having 2 will be ideal and perfect. Research says, using of hiking pole will improve your performance while hiking in not just providing balance but along you can hike for longer distances.
Other Hiking Accessories
Other trekking accessories include:
Plastic covers for used, unused, or wet cloths. Also, to keep you camera batteries and powerbanks full charged. Cold weather can drain your battery. You may want to check my cold weather photography essentials article.
Carry a lunch box, a mug and a spoon. Stainless steel leakproof lunch box for packed lunch. You need not carry a plate and use the same for having breakfast and dinner too or for having coffee or tea. Avoid the plastic lunchbox as it is hard to clean the greasy food items. Also, the metal box will keep you warm when hot food is served.
Socks - have one for each day. Wollen socks for cold weather. Make sure to keep the used socks outide the tent as a good hygiene practice or in a plastic cover
Have your first aid kit handy with tablets like cetirizine, Dolo 650, Electral Powder etc
Have a small piece of spong as big as the one used for dishwasher. This is for spong bath as it is hard to take bath while hiking under cold weather.
Keep your toiletry kit as small as possible. Carry only the necessities: a toothbrush, toothpaste, tiny soap, toilet paper, a little moisturiser, lip balm, and a roll-on deodorant. Because you won't be able to take a bath on the walk, don't stock up on soaps and shampoos. Carry miniature-sized items.
Hydration pack or water bottles, 1 or 2 liters should be fine. Usually mountain waters are clean and you usually do not need any filters.
Sunscreen just doesn't work, I believe it is more of a marketing gimmick to sell cold cream as per my experience. Also, even if it does you need to apply 5 times a day at regular intervals which is hard. Have cold cream instead and a lip balm and apply the balm frequently.
Mandatory documents, ID proof for forest entry.
Fresh snow, season's first snowfall at Tarsar campsite, Kashmir, India
In addition to this, if you are going solo, you might want to get many more things like cooking gas, food items, a tent, a sleeping bag, safety gear, etc. But, the one mentioned above is when you go on a hike with some hiking groups like Indiahikes or Trek the Himalayas, etc.
https://youtu.be/-ulRUS1n8o4
Carrying Camera Heavy Gear is a terrible IDEA while Trekking in groups
Note that this is not a sponsored post and most of the trekking accessories have been carefully selected after experimenting with these products in the last 7 Himalayan weeklong treks that I have completed and also weeklong treks in western ghats in southwest India. Something that I use for at least another 7 Himalayan treks. If you find this information useful then consider buying me a coffee to support my work and join my friendzone for more stories.
