Hike to Chumphu Ney
Published on 23rd February, 2021 by Tshering Dorji Bhap

Hike to Chumphu Ney 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
A pilgrimage to Chumphu is considered to be very holy and many pilgrims have made this journey on their pursuit of enlightenment and practice of Dharma. It is a pleasant hike through an enchanting forest, following a beautiful river until reaching a Stupa (Chorten). The last less than a hundred meters incline up to the Monastery is fairly steep. It is located at an elevation of 2800-2900 meters. The total walking distance is approximately 14 kms and takes some 5-7 hours (round trip) depending on your walking pace.
Of the three Zee Go (Three Doors to Liberation) the hike begins by entering the first Zee Go formed by two standing rocks and there are two more Zee Go along the way, one at the mid way and the other one near approaching the temple. There are many Neydo (sacred natural rock carvings) and caves formation associated with Guru Rinpoche and his consorts. Each of them has a story and its significance. In the recent days, a swath of forest was cleared to extend electricity to the monks. After two hours or so, a side valley enters from the left and you can spy the Lhakhang above you.
The Ney is revered for its levitating statue of Dorji Phagmo ( Sanskrit : Vajravarahi) which continues to imbibe a sense of awe and reverence to the pilgrims who come to pay their respects at this sacred site. Legend has it that when the statue was discovered from the lake above the temple, the statue was only about a foot tall. It is said that the statue magically grew to the present height and was placed in the Lhakang as the main statue. The statue being scared we were not allowed to take photos.
We were Blessed to have been greeted with snow flakes almost the way and more so as we just approach the monastery. It was as they say the auspicious Flower's Rain but it was snow flakes in our case which i personally find it even more auspicious. And even more Blessed to be accompanied by our luminary friend Lethro.
Blessed and Grateful