Dochula Pass

Dochula Pass

Dochula Pass is a mountain pass in the snow-capped Himalayas of Bhutan on the way from Thimphu to Punakha, where 108 memorial stupas were built by Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, the eldest Queen Mother. Next to the "Druk Wangyal Chortens" is a monastery called Druk Wangyal Lhakhang, which was built in honor of the fourth Druk Gyalpo. At the pass, the weather remains generally foggy and cool. But between October and February there are beautiful views of the Bhutanese Himalayas. The forest cover on the slopes of the pass is made up of cypress trees, and the hillsides around the pass are decorated with a multitude of colorful religious flags raised by Buddhist people as a sign of respect. The five-colored flags, representing the forces of nature - "blue (sky), white (clouds), red (fire), green (water) and yellow (earth)" - have Buddhist scriptural prayers written on them to bring prosperity and peace to the country. In February, after the snow has melted, the pass offers an abundant flowering of many species of flowers such as Primula denticulata, Primula bracteosa and the following month rhododendrons. Also, Magnolia campbellii is in bloom on the pass during this time. Daphne, another fragrant plant that people come to enjoy, is a small shrub that blooms with white flowers amidst a multitude of praying mantises fixed on the slopes. This plant's bark is used to make paper, the traditional paper used to write religious scripture, because it is termite-free.