During the long course of its history, Ladakh was ruled by several dynasties who brought their culture, religion and traditions to this region, giving it a unique feature. As far as religion is concerned, Buddhism is followed by a major portion of the population. Irrespective of the rugged terrain and remote inaccessible areas, monks and preachers passed through them and built monasteries all over the place. There are are innumerable monasteries in Ladkah, some in ruins while others are still in inhabited, running as educational and religious centers. During our week long tour in Ladakh, we got an opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful monasteries and today I would like to share some of my experience. A typical character of the monasteries is that each monastery has a courtyard where main rituals in gathering are performed or yearly festivals are celebrated. The walls of stones which are inscribed with prayers and religious figures are called Mani walls. On the outer walls one can notice the lines of ‘prayer wheels’. Prayer wheels are wood and metal cylinders with prayers written on the long pieces of paper inside. Every rotation of teach cylinder is equated to prayers written on the paper and are sent to Buddha.
The first monastery we visited was on our way to Leh from Kargil - Lamayuru Monastery, one of the mysterious and the oldest monastery of Ladakh. The Lamayuru monastery is situated about 10 kms from Leh, on a big rock overlooking the Indus River. According to the legends, Lamayuru was a lake. It was blessed by a Lama after which the water of the lake receded up to the mountains leaving place for the monastery to be built. The monastery has Dukhang, the assembly hall, Gonkhang, the temple and residential buildings for monks. The main hall of this monastery is very impressive and houses numerous Thangkas and is worth a visiting place. There are caves carved out of the mountain wall and some of the rooms are richly furnished with carpets, Tibetan tables and butter lamps. Walls of the Dukhang are painted with colourful images of Buddhist deities. In front of the temple there are three chortens. The only disadvantage is that you are not allowed to do photography inside the monastery :(
The next monastery we visited was the Hemis Monastery. Situated in the foothills of Indus at a distance of 45 km from Leh, the monastery has access to motorable roads. Travelling to Hemis monastery itself is a thrilling experience and the surroundings make the journey a memorable one. Hemis Monastry is the wealthiest monastery in India and famous for its rich collection of ancient remnants like the statue of Buddha made of copper, stupas made of gold and silver. Monastery also has sacred Thangkas, murals and various artifacts. The Tibetan Buddhist monastery belongs to the Drukpa Lineage or the Dragon Order of Mahayana Buddhism. The Tibetan style architecture of the monastery is very colourful and attractive. It is divided into two parts – the assembly hall known as Dukhang and the temple which is called Tshogkhang. The huge courtyard of the monastery is also worth a visit. All the celebration and public functions are held here. Verandah is decorated with colourful wall paintings of Buddhist Kalchakra. Below the monastery there is Chomoling which is the abode of nuns.
The next one we visited was Thiksey Monastery. The 12 storey monastery has 10 temples, assembly hall, and residence for 120 monks and nunnery. The monastery buildings are structured in hierarchal order. The monastery is referred as ‘Mini Potala’ of India as it resembles Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. There is one big statue of Maitreya (future Buddha) which covers almost two floor of the monastery that is 40 feet in height. Tara temple of Goddess Tara is another major attraction for the visitors. Apart from visiting monastery one can also find some rare and precious stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords in the monastery.
From outside the monastery, we could see a panorama of beautiful landscapes all around. The green patches are a result of dedicated efforts by the local people. They have implemented schemes like water harvesting. The greenery everywhere often makes you forget that Ladakh in fact, is a cold desert!
This writing would remain incomplete without a glimpse of the Diskit Monastery, the largest and the oldest surviving monastery in Nubra Valley. The Diskit Gompa has two distinct parts - one, the Gompa (monastery) itself, which, like most other monasteries is located on a inclined land and which you have to walk and the second, the statue of the Maitreya Buddha (future Buddha), upto which there is a motorable road.
A climb to seven storied Diskit Gompa through a few hundred steps takes some time and effort; but the effort is adequately rewarded. From elevation of upper stories of the Gompa, the panorama of hills and the greenery around the Diskit village looks spectacular.
The maitreya is visible from a far distance and hence, I am sure anyone would be curious to find out how it looks up-close : well, you should experience this for yourself. Not only the Buddha is huge (almost 3 storey high) it is also very well decorated and painted in bright colours. The view of the sky and mountains from this place is exhilarating.
Having written a few words on the various Gompas of Ladakh, some readers may feel tad monotonous on this aspect of Ladakh. If one is at Ladakh, one can not wish away Gompas and Chortens which are the fountain heads of Buddhist religion and will make their appearance in every possible destination. These mountain clutching multistoried structures, invariably give a kind of divine dimension to the mountains of this Trans-Himalayan region and from layman’s point of view, break the monotony of the rugged hills.
The first monastery we visited was on our way to Leh from Kargil - Lamayuru Monastery, one of the mysterious and the oldest monastery of Ladakh. The Lamayuru monastery is situated about 10 kms from Leh, on a big rock overlooking the Indus River. According to the legends, Lamayuru was a lake. It was blessed by a Lama after which the water of the lake receded up to the mountains leaving place for the monastery to be built. The monastery has Dukhang, the assembly hall, Gonkhang, the temple and residential buildings for monks. The main hall of this monastery is very impressive and houses numerous Thangkas and is worth a visiting place. There are caves carved out of the mountain wall and some of the rooms are richly furnished with carpets, Tibetan tables and butter lamps. Walls of the Dukhang are painted with colourful images of Buddhist deities. In front of the temple there are three chortens. The only disadvantage is that you are not allowed to do photography inside the monastery :(
The next monastery we visited was the Hemis Monastery. Situated in the foothills of Indus at a distance of 45 km from Leh, the monastery has access to motorable roads. Travelling to Hemis monastery itself is a thrilling experience and the surroundings make the journey a memorable one. Hemis Monastry is the wealthiest monastery in India and famous for its rich collection of ancient remnants like the statue of Buddha made of copper, stupas made of gold and silver. Monastery also has sacred Thangkas, murals and various artifacts. The Tibetan Buddhist monastery belongs to the Drukpa Lineage or the Dragon Order of Mahayana Buddhism. The Tibetan style architecture of the monastery is very colourful and attractive. It is divided into two parts – the assembly hall known as Dukhang and the temple which is called Tshogkhang. The huge courtyard of the monastery is also worth a visit. All the celebration and public functions are held here. Verandah is decorated with colourful wall paintings of Buddhist Kalchakra. Below the monastery there is Chomoling which is the abode of nuns.
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| Painting on the walls |
The next one we visited was Thiksey Monastery. The 12 storey monastery has 10 temples, assembly hall, and residence for 120 monks and nunnery. The monastery buildings are structured in hierarchal order. The monastery is referred as ‘Mini Potala’ of India as it resembles Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. There is one big statue of Maitreya (future Buddha) which covers almost two floor of the monastery that is 40 feet in height. Tara temple of Goddess Tara is another major attraction for the visitors. Apart from visiting monastery one can also find some rare and precious stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords in the monastery.
This writing would remain incomplete without a glimpse of the Diskit Monastery, the largest and the oldest surviving monastery in Nubra Valley. The Diskit Gompa has two distinct parts - one, the Gompa (monastery) itself, which, like most other monasteries is located on a inclined land and which you have to walk and the second, the statue of the Maitreya Buddha (future Buddha), upto which there is a motorable road.
A climb to seven storied Diskit Gompa through a few hundred steps takes some time and effort; but the effort is adequately rewarded. From elevation of upper stories of the Gompa, the panorama of hills and the greenery around the Diskit village looks spectacular.
The maitreya is visible from a far distance and hence, I am sure anyone would be curious to find out how it looks up-close : well, you should experience this for yourself. Not only the Buddha is huge (almost 3 storey high) it is also very well decorated and painted in bright colours. The view of the sky and mountains from this place is exhilarating.
Having written a few words on the various Gompas of Ladakh, some readers may feel tad monotonous on this aspect of Ladakh. If one is at Ladakh, one can not wish away Gompas and Chortens which are the fountain heads of Buddhist religion and will make their appearance in every possible destination. These mountain clutching multistoried structures, invariably give a kind of divine dimension to the mountains of this Trans-Himalayan region and from layman’s point of view, break the monotony of the rugged hills.
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