A Tale of Buli Tsho

Nestled in the heart of a dense forest, the mystical lake of Buli village in Zhemgang remains an enigma – unexplored and shrouded in mystery.

Located less than 5km south of Nangkhor gewog centre, a serene atmosphere surrounds the lake. Amidst the calmness, an eerie aura is also very much present.

The tale surrounding the popular Buli Tsho (lake) has many versions none of which has been documented officially.

According to one of the many accounts that have been widely accepted among the locals, Buli Tsho narrates the tale of a promise made by a sister to her brother and the journey she undertook to keep the promise.



The origin

“For generations this story has been passed down in our family,” said Kinley Wangchuk who is the tshogpa of the chiwog.

The story dates back to the later 17th century.

After winning many battles in Tibet, Buli Penpo (chieftain of Buli village) had decided to head south (Bhutan) as per a prophecy. His sister (a mermaid), who had been supporting him throughout his battles for some reason could not join him in this expedition.

However, she made a promise to the brother that the two siblings would reunite again in the land of the cypress tree.

In search of her brother, Kinley Wangchuk said that the sister first arrived at Dungkar in Lhuentse then travelled to Chumey in Bumthang and finally reached Buli in Zhemgang.

“It is believed that the lake was initially formed in these places and finally decided to settle permanently in Buli.”

Upon arrival in Buli, the sister disguised herself as a woman and sought shelter in a house in Trongmeth. An old lady welcomed her and allowed her to stay at the alter room.

The mermaid who only partially reveled her face had requested the old lady not to disturb her. However, the old lady wanted to offer some tea and locally brewed wine to her guest. She went ahead and peeped through a hole and saw a large snake resting in the alter room.

The mermaid had left the house the next morning. When the old lady went to inspect the room, she found a butter churner left behind. “It is said that after that the number of cattle in the house multiplied for some year,” said Kinley Wangchuk. “But after a few years the churner disappeared on its own and from then onwards the number of cattle declined day by day in the family.”

The tshogpa said that after leaving the house in Trongmeth, the mermaid laid claim of certain areas below the main settlement and established her phodrang (palace) in the form of a lake.

However, he said the nearby settlement polluted the lake, which is why the mermaid moved her phodrang down south near the existing lake. “Since the new location was at a tri-junction, constant movement of people once again polluted the lake. Finally it moved to the current location.”

The house where the mermaid spent the night still exists today. Choney Zangmo, 65, is the fifth generation residing at the lui phodrang (the palace of the mermaid).

Source : https://kuenselonline.com/buli-tsho-a...
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