A lot of Bhutanese people attribute the phallic symbolism to the legacies of the popular Bhutanese saint, Lam Drukpa Kinley (commonly called the Divine Madman for his unrestrained sexual practices and rebellion against the dogmatic religious institutions).
Bhutanese scholars strongly opposed this ‘common misconception’. “No phallic symbol was ever directly ascribed to the saint, though there were some associations,” “Although the association enriches and enhances the fascination of the phallus, Drukpa Kinley used the phallus as a ‘medium’ to tame the demons and demonesses and other malevolent spirits, and in his sexual practices to overcome the social inhibitions set by the socially established values.”In fact, a popular story illustrates how the saint tamed a demoness in Helela. Drukpa Kinley is believed to have copulated with the demoness and overwhelmed her with his sizeable organ. Today Chimmi Lhakhang in Lobesa, Thimphu, is dedicated to the saint and the people visiting the temple are blessed with a phallus, symbolising fertility.
The use of the phallus by the saint to subdue and tame malevolent spirits is linked to the popular Bhutanese belief that phallic symbols ward-off evil spirits.
“Human prosperity is supposed to arouse ill feellings,"
“People’s method of defense was to strike back through a human agency represented by the phallus. Thus the belief of protection against the evil eye.”
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