How did Guru Rinpoche arrive according to legend?

On the back of a flying tigress

What happened in 1998?

A fire badly damaged the main buildings

Paro Taktsang Quiz: Bhutan's Tiger's Nest Cliff Monastery

This Paro Taktsang quiz climbs to Bhutan's most famous monastery, perched on a sheer cliff high above the Paro valley. Play 10 interactive questions on the Tiger's Nest name, Guru Rinpoche's flight on a tigress, the cave where he meditated, the temple built in 1692, the 1998 fire and rebuilding, prayer flags, the cafeteria halfway and the steep hike up.

Start Paro Taktsang Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Country
Which country is Paro Taktsang in?
Name
What is the monastery's English nickname?
Founder
Which saint is linked with the site?
Legend
How did Guru Rinpoche arrive according to legend?
Cave
What did he do in a cave at the site?
Built
When was the main temple complex built?
Fire
What happened in 1998?
Height
Roughly how far above the valley floor is it?
Hike
How do most visitors reach the monastery?
Rest
What do hikers find about halfway up?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which country is Paro Taktsang in?
Answer: Bhutan
It overlooks the Paro valley.
Q2: What is the monastery's English nickname?
Answer: Tiger's Nest
Taktsang means tiger's lair.
Q3: Which saint is linked with the site?
Answer: Guru Rinpoche
He is also called Padmasambhava.
Q4: How did Guru Rinpoche arrive according to legend?
Answer: On the back of a flying tigress
He came to subdue a local demon.
Q5: What did he do in a cave at the site?
Answer: He meditated
Pilgrims visit the sacred cave.
Q6: When was the main temple complex built?
Answer: 1692
It was built around the meditation cave.
Q7: What happened in 1998?
Answer: A fire badly damaged the main buildings
It was rebuilt by about 2005.
Q8: Roughly how far above the valley floor is it?
Answer: About 900 m
It sits near 3,100 m above sea level.
Q9: How do most visitors reach the monastery?
Answer: By a steep hike of a few hours
Ponies can carry people partway.
Q10: What do hikers find about halfway up?
Answer: A cafeteria with views
It looks across the gorge.

A Monastery on a Cliff and a Flying Tigress

Paro Taktsang hangs on a sheer cliff about 900 m above the Paro valley in western Bhutan. Its name means tiger's lair, and in English it is known as the Tiger's Nest. Whitewashed walls and golden roofs seem to grow out of the rock, near 3,100 m above sea level.

Legend says Guru Rinpoche, the saint who helped bring Buddhism to Bhutan, flew here on the back of a tigress in the 700s and meditated in a cave to tame a demon. In 1692 a temple complex was built around that cave. A fire in 1998 badly damaged the main buildings, and they were carefully rebuilt by about 2005.

Visitors reach it by a steep hike of a few hours through pine forest strung with prayer flags. A cafeteria about halfway offers views across the gorge, and the final section crosses a waterfall bridge. Ponies can carry people partway, but the last stretch is on foot.

What This Quiz Teaches

Travel and mountain fans will enjoy these questions.

Where the monastery sits
Which legend it honors
When it was built
What the fire changed
How visitors climb up

Did You Know?

Photography is not allowed inside.
Paro has Bhutan's only international airport.
Visitors need modest clothing.
Early starts avoid the midday heat.
Butter lamps burn in the shrines.