A 17th Century Stone Inscription from Ura Village

In traditional times, Ura was the south-easternmost of thedistricts of central Bhutan called Bum-thang sDe-bzhi – ‘theFour Districts of Bumthang.’ Within the district are foundsome of the oldest datable Bhutanese monasteries such asSombrang, connected to the Drigung Kagyudpa subsect of theLhapa, constructed ca. 1230 AD by the Smyos Lama namedDemchog (1179-1265).1Before its incorporation into the Zhabdrung Rinpoche’scentralized Drukpa ecclesiastic state during the mid 17thcentury, Ura was apparently ruled by a line of petty kings,known as the Ura Gyalpo, barely mentioned in Bhutanesehistories and about whom little is remembered today. At othertimes in Ura’s history it was ruled, or at least dominated bystrongmen claiming Tibetan ancestry known as the Ura Dung(Choekey: Gdung). 2 Remnants of those days are found inhillside castle ruins of Gdung Nag-po and in the traditionalnomenclature of several homes in Ura that reflect their pastfunctional relationship to the house that once served as theold royal residency, situated at the top of the hill.3 Today, Urais located just south of the lateral road leading to Mongar andeastern Bhutan and is perhaps best known to tourists for itsannual yak dance (Yag Shoed) festival.In May, 2002, during a visit to Bhutan for historical research,I had the privilege of staying for a night in the village of Ura.4The next morning we walked along an ancient pathwayleading westward through the center of the village. Thepathway winds among the homes, connecting them to villagefields to the south and west. As we passed by the home of theUra gup (Ch. Rged po) the traditional headman of Ura, I wassurprised to discover ourselves in the presence of a large, wellpreserved prayer wall (Ch. Ma ni thang) (see Fig. 2, 3). Thewall is about 100 feet in length, 7 feet high, and divided into2two unequal sections. In the gap between them is constructeda square chorten or stupa of typical Bhutanese style fromearlier centuries. Both the walls and stupa are constructed oftraditional piled, whitewashed cemented stone with slate roof.At shoulder height along the wall is a continuous stone lintelon which are inset a series of slate inscription panels, paintedmaroon. Typically, such slate inscriptions contain Sanskritand Choekey (literary Tibetan) mantras, especially the sixsyllablemani prayer to Guru Rinpoche Om mani padmeHum! Indeed, the splendid Ura prayer wall contains manysuch panels in various states of preservation. The structureconveys the overall impression of a treasured historicalmonument that has been carefully maintained by generationsof local