The first thing that comes to your on seeing Tashichho Dzong (dzong: fortress) is its size. It must be easily of the size of three football fields put together lengthwise. Once inside, its tall utse (central tower) and surrounding buildings trying matching its height makes everyone in the dzong appear smaller. The imposing scale of the building repeatedly tells you that it is the power center of Bhutan, while the line of prayer wheels remind you the religious nature of Bhutan’s everyday life.
A part of Tashichho Dzong hosts the government secretariat and the offices of the king, while another part hosts the central monastic body of the country.
On the long line of steps leading to Ganga in Varanasi, everything and everyone seems to become equal. Pilgrims, priests, mendicants, traders, common folk, tourists, rich, poor, birds, animals, gods, sacred, filthy and everything else that you can imagine shares the same space without any contempt towards the gathered mass. Everything commands the highest respect, be it the priest on the steps, the goddess in her sanctum, monkey on the balcony or the sewer-like waters of Ganga.
My first impression of Varanasi was a mild shock, seeing the insane chaos even by the standards of the chaotic country that we are. But as I learned to ignore the big picture and focused on the emotions of the city, it revealed another new world of devotion and piety that could only exist in Varanasi.
Gadisar Lake, Jaisalmer, and the traditional pavilions (chatri) around it set against a deep blue sky.
