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Location:
130-km West Of Leh, Ladakh Region, J&K
Main Attraction: Lamayuru Gompa & Trekking
First Monastery Dates Back To: 10th Century
The
First Monastery Of Lamayuru
The first Lamayuru monastery was built under Rinchen Zangbo
at the end of the 10th century, under orders from the king
of Ladakh , who altogether had 108 Gompas built in west
Tibet. It was built on the broken mountain in the valley and
consisted of five buildings, of which only the central
building stands today. One can still see some remains of the
four corner buildings to the west.
The Gompa has an impressive 11-headed, 1,000-eyed image of
Chenrezig. In its heyday up to 400 monks lived in the
monastery but today there are only 20 to 30 who belong to
the yellow hat sect. Many Lamas from Lamayuru now go out to
other parts of Ladakh as teachers.
A Place For All
In the 16th century the monastery was declared a holy site
in which even criminals could seek sanctuary. For that
reason even today it is known to Ladakhis as 'Tharpa Ling',
'Place of freedom'.
Considered A Prime Attraction Since Primitive Times
A major landmark on the old silk route, the Gompa numbers
among the 108 (a spiritually significant number, probably
legendary) founded by the Rinchen Zangpo in the 10th and
11th centuries. However, its craggy seat, believed to have
sheltered Milarepa during his religious odyssey across the
Himalayas, was probably sacred long before the advent of
Buddhism, when local people followed the Shamanical 'Bon'
cult.
Passage To Zanskar
The main reason visitors make the short detour from the
nearby Srinagar -Leh road is to photograph the Gompa from
the valley floor, or to pick up the trail to the Prikiti-la
pass - gateway to Zanskar, which begins here.
The footpath from the highway brings one near the main
entrance to the monastery, where one should be able to find
the Lama responsible for issuing entrance tickets and
unlocking the door to the Du-khang. Lamayuru's newly
renovated prayer hall houses little of note other than a
cave where Naropa, Milarepa's teacher, is said to have
meditated, and a rancid collection of Yak-butter sculptures.
If one is lucky, one will be shown through the tangle of
narrow lanes below the Gompa to a tiny chapel, whose badly
damaged murals of Mandalas and the Tathagata Buddhas are
contemporary with those at Alchi.
HOW
TO GET THERE
Road:
Lamayuru lies too far from either Leh or Kargil, 107-km
west, to be visited in a day trip, so one either has to call
in en route between the two, or else spend the night at the
monastery itself. The regular bus service to Leh departs at
10.00 am and the one to Kargil at noon.
HEMIS
The
Hemis Festival
Thanks to the Hemis Setchu festival - one of the few held in
summer, when the passes are open - Hemis, 45-km southeast of
Leh , is the most famous Gompa in Ladakh . Every year in
mid-July hundreds of foreign visitors join the huge crowds
of locals, dressed up in their finest traditional garb, that
flock to watch the colourful two-day pageant.
An
Enormous Thangka
Once every twelve years, the Hemis festival also hosts the
ritual unrolling of a giant Thangka. The Gompa's prize
possession, which covers the entire façade of the
building, was embroidered by women whose hands are now
revered as holy relics. Decorated with pearls and precious
stones, it will not now be on show again until 2004. Among
the treasures on permanent display is an exquisite Buddha
Shakyamuni, also inlaid with jewels. The serene faced
colossus sits in the Cho-khang chamber at the far end of
the courtyard, along with a couple of richly inlaid silver
Chortens.
The festival draws pilgrims, dressed in their finest
costumes, from all over Ladakh and since 1975, tourists
from all over the world. Apart from being one of the
largest in Ladakh it is one of the few major religious
festival in Ladakh, which is held in the summer, when the
passes are open.
Hemis Gompa
Hemis Gompa is the largest and one of the most important
in Ladakh quite apart from its annual festival. It was
founded about 350 years ago by Stagtshang Rinchen, who was
invited to Ladakh by king Singe (also spelt as Sengge)
Namgyal.
One can gain an impression of the extent of the monastery
area on the climb to the so called "Eyrie", a
hermitage reached by a one hour, 3-km climb to 3,900
metres, 1,000 metres higher than Hemis. The 13th century
monastery predates the Hemis Gompa and was built by Syalwa
Gotsang-pa, who meditated in a cave nearby. A small shrine
has been built around the cave, where one can see his foot
and hand print in the rock.
In
Splendid Isolation
Driving past on the nearby Srinagar -Leh highway, you'd
never guess that the cluster of low pagoda roofed cubes 3-km
across the Indus from Saspol, dwarfed by a spectacular sweep
of pale brown and wine coloured scree, is one of the most
significant historical sites in Asia. Yet the Chos-khor, or
"religious enclave", at Alchi, 70-km west of Leh,
harbours an extraordinary wealth of ancient wall paintings
and wood sculpture, miraculously preserved for over nine
centuries inside five tiny mud walled temples.
ALICHI
A
Priceless Himalayan Heritage
Art historians rave about the site because its earliest
murals are the finest surviving examples of a style that
flourished in Kashmir during the "Second
Spreading". Barely a handful of the monasteries
founded during this era escaped the Muslim depredations of
the fourteenth century. Of them all, Alchi is the most
impressive, the least remote and the only place where one
doesn't need a special permit to visit. Nestled beside a
bend in the milky blue river Indus, amid some dramatic
scenery, it's also a serene spot and the perfect place to
break a long journey to or from the Ladakhi capital.
The Chos-khor consists of five separate temples, various
residential buildings and a scattering of large Chortens,
surrounded by a mud and stonewall and a curtain of tall
poplar trees. If one is pushed for time, concentrate on
the two oldest buildings, the Du-khang and the Sumtsek,
both in the middle of the enclosure. Entrance tickets are
issued by a caretaker lama from nearby Likkir Gompa, who
will unlock the doors for the visitors. To make the most
of the paintings vibrant colours, one will need a strong
flashlight; but don't use a camera flash as it will damage
the murals, last restored in the 16th century.
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