Tiger’s Nest Monastery, Paro Taksang

Tiger’s Nest is the popular name of the Paro Taktsang Monastery, a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and temple complex. Built in 1692, Tiger's Nest is located in the cliffside of the upper Paro Valley, 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) to the north of Paro, Bhutan, and 10,240 feet above sea-level.

The monastery consists of four main temples, and some residential buildings. They are harmoniously designed into the surrounding rock ledges and terrain, and blend naturally into the mountain.

I started building this Lego model of the monastery in January 2013 and the first iteration took 8 months to build. It was displayed for the first time in October 2013. I wasn't satisfied with the first version, so worked on adding to the rock-work, improving the structural strength, and making the individual modules more seamless. After displaying in March and October 2014, the model went into storage.

Then in January 2019, I felt inspired to refine the model further, both for details in the model, and making it easier to pack, assemble, disassemble, and put back in storage. This final version was displayed in October 2019.

A common question is 'how many pieces is this'? The truth is, I honestly don't know, but I'd estimate around 200,000.

This model was featured in The Brothers Brick Blog, BrickJournal #30,  HispaBrick issue #19, and Bhutan News Service, and books such as The Greatest Brick Builds: Amazing Creations in LEGO and Magic Bricks and has won several awards

• People’s Choice HM BrickCon 2013

• People’s Choice BrickCon 2014

• Best In Show Bricks Cascade 2014

• People’s Choice HM BrickCon 2019.

Mr Al Pacino was impressed by my work too! (scroll down for pic)

Here is a link to an interview with Beyond the Brick TV about the construction process: YouTube Interview - Tiger's Nest