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
