The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas, located between Tibet and India. The subalpine mountains in the north (with peaks above 23,000 ft) rise from the country's southern subtropical plains. Highly influenced by Tibetan Buddhist culture, Bhutan is world-famous for its colorful phallic murals and carvings. The ubiquitous penis imagery is associated with fertility, and is embraced in home decoration to encourage children, attract wealth, and ward off the “evil eye.”
In this slideshow we share some of our favorite Bhutan penis murals.
A traditional bhutanese house with multi-colored wood frontages, small arched windows and phallus images. Local garuda and deer are also depicted on this photo from Sopsokha village, Punakha, Bhutan. Traditionally symbols of an erect penis in Bhutan have been intended to drive away the evil eye and prevent malicious gossip.