‘I went to ‘penis village’ where everything you can think of is phallus-shaped’

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A man has revealed that he uncovered a "penis village" while travelling the world, complete with a temple "surrounded by phalluses of all shapes and sizes".

There are plenty of weird and wonderful places in the world from the mountains that inspired Avatar to Turkey's "fairy chimneys" or the alien-like landscape of Socotra – but one man thinks he's found one of the "strangest" places.

Daniel Pinto, 25, has been to 121 countries in total – that's a fair whack considering there are only 195 official ones on the planet – but said Sopsokha, Bhutan, is the most bonkers place he's ever been. The "penis village" shocks and surprises visitors because of its many phallus murals and male-member-shaped souvenirs.

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Some would say that it's rather in your face (sorry, couldn't resist) about the town's connection to male genitals. Apparently, it's all to do with fertility and having children as the small village is also famous for the temple of Chimi Lhakhang or the temple of fertility which sits just down the road from the homes and shops.

Daniel, from Viseu, Portugal, said: "It's a very beautiful traditional Bhutanese village surrounded by rice fields. But the closer you get the weirder it becomes. The temple itself is just as odd. A huge golden Buddha in the middle surrounded by phalluses of all shapes and sizes."

Many Buddhists looking for a boost in fertility make the pilgrimage to the temple – women who are trying to conceive are given a wooden phallus (that's a penis model) and told to circle the temple three times. While it may seem strange to us Brits, it seems that many families in Bhutan keep a wooden phallus in their homes or on the walls to promote fertility and pregnancy.

Daniel said: "In the temple you also find success story pictures of couples who struggled to get pregnant then went to the village and got pregnant shortly after. Unfortunately, you can't take cameras or phones into any temple in Bhutan – so [there are] no photos of the inside. I was only there for a few hours which is enough. Walked around, saw the temple and ate lunch."

Pilgrims and tourists alike are able to buy fertility symbols as souvenirs in the shape of a phallic-inspired gift – a sculpture, doll or even T-shirts. Daniel added: "The most interesting thing is definitely the gift shops selling penis dolls of all shapes sizes and colours. There were T-shirts, posters and literally everything you can think of in the shape of a penis. Many Bhutanese people will have a penis bought from this village in their home."

Unfortunately, the mountain kingdom is not cheap or easy to access – Bhutan has rigorous rules with tourists who enter the country and Daniel had to be chaperoned by a government official for the duration of his holiday. Plus, you'll likely need to fly from the UK to India and then on to Bhutan as direct flights are not common.

Since travelling to Bhutan, Daniel has been to Sri Lanka and the Maldives – and hopes to complete his tour of the world by visiting every single country. The footage he has shared was captured on June 17 2023 – so it was not so long ago that he was wandering among the penises in this small village.

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