Jagar Damkelsa Ney is the sacred cliff where Drubthob Nagi Rinchen meditated to rescue his mother from an ephemeral hell in Bjemina under Thimphu Dzongkhag.
The Ney is not popular just like Khandro Ney among pilgrims who visit other sacred gNeys around the region like Tshelung Ney and Domtsang Ney.
How to Reach Jagar Damkelsa Ney
The Ney is located southwest of Thimphu city. It’s about an hour’s drive from Thimphu towards Bjemina via Khasadrapchu-Gidakom road. The car will take you to Damtshelkha village in Chimithang. From the Damtshelkha, it is about half an hour’s walk up to the sacred site.
Another way you can reach and visit this Ney is while returning from a pilgrimage to Guru Rinpoche‘s second Draphu Maratika, Tshelung Ney. If your time permits, visit Domtsang Ney while on a pilgrimage to Jaga Damkelsa ney.
Sacred Relics to See at Jaga Damkelsa Ney
- The Sacred Cliff;
- An upturned bamboo basket on top of a wooden beam which is 720 years old.
Also Read: Guru Rinpoche in Bhutan: His Visits to Bhutan and Sacred Sites
Historical Significance of Jagar Damkelsa Ney
Jagar Damkelsa Ney is the sacred place where revered Pandita Drubthob Nagi Rinchen (Vanaratna, 1384-1468) is said to have meditated on an upturned bamboo basket on top of a wooden beam in the middle of a cliff. Drubthob Nagi Rinchen is a Bengali Pandita and Mahasiddha born as a prince in Sadnagara, near the present-day Chittagong district of Bangladesh. Because of this, the place is known as Jagar Damkelsa meaning “the place where a crossbeam of the Siddha (Drupthob) was placed.”
Drubthob came to Bhutan in search of his mother’s reincarnation. The legend has it that the mother of the great Drubthob Nagi Rinchen was born in an ephemeral hell (nye tshe ba’I dmyal ba) which was under the oven of a family in a village near the present Ney. To rescue his mother from the hell, he went to work for the family there. Though the history relates to the legend of Dho Jhaga Lam (the rock of Indian Saint), people say that Drubthob did come to Damtshelkha village and blessed the place during the 13th century. Because we can still see the miraculous signs that no ordinary beings can ever do, you must visit to see and believe them.
It’s believed that during the day Drubthob performed whatever work assigned to him by the family but disappeared by the night. So, the local people became curious and wanted to know where he went. One day, the people followed and found him meditating miraculously in the middle of the cliff seated on an upturned bamboo basket on top of a wooden beam.
Best Time to Visit Jaga Damkelsa Ney
You can visit any time of the year if you’re pious though monsoon can be quite a time. As stated earlier, though the Ney is near the road point, it is one of the least explored or visited pilgrimage sites, even for those pilgrims who regularly visit Tshelung Ney and Domtsang Ney where all three Neys are located.
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