Penis protects Bhutan

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BBC News describes a stimulated aspect of Bhutan’s scenic landscape:

Driving from the country’s only airport in Paro to the capital city of Thimphu, graphic and colourful paintings of penises adorn the white-washed walls of homes, shops and eateries. In many places, pictures of dragons and soft drink advertisements showing a Bollywood actress jostle for space on the walls with phallic drawings. [BBC News]

An actress jostling with a penis could just be a still frame from any Bollywood flick, instead of evidence of a phenomenon. It’s not until you go down further on the article, that you realize the almighty deeock is found in even the most remote of Bhutan’s crevices:

Next to the traditionally painted wooden windows of the 80-year-old farmer, Dema’s, house is a bright red painting of a penis. Dema tells me she hired a professional artist to do it. “It’s to protect those who live inside the house,” she says…A few houses away lives 42-year-old Kinley. A simple drawing of a phallus adorns his wall. He tells me he painted it last year when he renovated his house. “It’s to ward off the evil eye. When people envy me or say bad things about me or my family, it takes away the sting,” Kinley says. [BBC News]

Kinley is doing something horribly wrong if a penis is taking away, rather than delivering, a sting. So why is everyone in Bhutan nuts about penis? The admiration is borne of religious lore:

Legend has it that Drupka Kinley would hit errant demons over the head with his penis to subdue them and turn them into protective deities. Today, several wooden penises are kept in the monastery. The longest, a brown wooden one with a silver handle, is the most important – it is considered a religious relic and is used for blessing the devout…The monk hits three young women devotees who come to pray at the monastery on the head with it. [BBC News]

Homesick Bhutanese monks (or just about anybody else) in Los Angeles can get that service for $30-40 (per head) on Hollywood Blvd.

BBC News: Bhutan’s phalluses warn off evil

6 thoughts on “Penis protects Bhutan”

  1. would hit errant demons over the head with his penis

    This gives the childhood “Little Bunny Foo Foo” tune a totally different spin! Little Bunny Foo Foo, Hopping through the forest Scooping up the field mice And boppin’ ’em on the head

    Down came the good fairy and she said

    “Little Bunny Foo Foo, I don’t want to see you Scooping up the field mice And boppin’ ’em on the head.” -D

  2. Wow. Reminds me of the DMX lyric from “Party Up (Up In Here)”…”Should I smack you with my d$*# or the mike?”

    I used to be quite certain that anyone presented with the unenviable task of making such a choice would opt for the latter option, but I may be wrong after all.

    See you learn something new every day….thank you sepia mutiny!

  3. Whenever I whack some succubus over the head with my penis, it takes too long to roll it back up again. A simple Mauser shooting bullets with holy water is so much cleaner.

  4. I bet you after reading this article some western backpacker chick is going to try and steal the longest wooden penis in that monastery. Damn tourists. 🙂