Sacred waterfall

Today I hiked to a lhakang (temple) in Western Bhutan with a floating statue that dates back to the 13th century. The statue of a female deity stands in a dancing posture with one leg raised and the other on the ground. But the foot doesn't actually touch the ground and visitors are invited to slide paper bills below her foot to prove the point.*

The legend of the statue is that it arose fully formed from the pool beneath this waterfall and was discovered by an early saint. It was placed on the floor inside the temple in the evening and when the monks woke up the next morning, she was raised up, miraculously floating in place on the shrine. In this pic (best viewed in large), my hiking companion, Tshewang, is praying and receiving the blessings of the sacred water.

* For the skeptics among us, the statue is covered in silk brocade garments and is inside a glass case so you can't examine where it is supported. A special trap door opens on the bottom so you can inspect the floating foot without getting a chance to check out the rest of the statue.