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If it wasn't so cold in Leh, I'd sleep outside amid the purity and beauty of nature and with a clear panoramic view of the stars. But considering the negative temperatures of Leh, especially in the...
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Lamayuru: As a monastic site this is believed to be the oldest in Ladakh and to have been a holy place of the Bon-chos before the advent of Budhhism. Perched on a spur high above the valley it is one of the most spectacularly picturesque of the gompas.
Alchi: This is perhaps the most...
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Cultural Tourism: Visits to Buddhist monasteries are the principal tourist attraction of central Ladakh. Most villages and monasteries are provided with regular bus services from Leh. Taxis are expensive with fixed tariff but offer good value in terms of comfort, convenience and time frame.
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Because of this inherent complexity a deep rift exists between popular practice and theology. The Buddhist laity for the most part seems to be content with an uncomprehending observance of outward forms, based on a few simplistic beliefs and show little understanding of the complexities of their...
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I try to understanad the imposing paintings on the walls. The central principal of Vajrayana Buddhism is not different from the other two sects, namely Mahayana and Hinayana, but what has made it extremely complex are the tantric elements adopted from Hinduism and introduced into it. These...
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The form of Budhhism that is practised in Ladakh is Tibetan Budhhism, Vajrayana or the vehicle of thunderbolt. But Budhhism originally came here from India as is testified by the iconography in the earlier gompas. In the eleventh and twelfth century Budhhism was gradually losing ground to the...
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Budhhism is manifest in every aspect here. The terracotta-robed lamas are a common sight in the streets. Although they live secluded lives in the gompas they interact closely with the Ladakhi laity. They guide the common man through birth, marriage, death and festivities like Losar.
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We enter the bazaar which is certainly Leh’s welcoming smile. Shops display a gay fare of Tibetan curios and jewellery. I spot a few women in traditional Ladakhi costume, the goncha and the turquoise studded perak crowning their heads, squatting on the footpath with baskets of fresh...
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We enter the city past the Ladakh ecological Centre and the Moravian Church. The Moravian brothers, Karl Marx and A. H. Francke established this church in 1885. In addition to a new religion they introduced such useful skills as baking and knitting. It came to me as a great surprise that despite...
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While the isolation of Ladakh makes life very difficult here. However, it is also widely acknowledged that it is precisely this isolation that has helped preserve Ladakh’s unique way of life. Although the fabled silk route passed directly through Ladakh and hundreds of traders regularly passed...
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Although the main town of Ladakh is sandwiched between the Greater Himalaya and the Karakoram range, the sweater I bring along on this summer visit is never worn! In fact the two items that I find most useful in my gear are the sunglasses and the sun hat. The mercury jumps effortlessly to 40...
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As soon I step out of the aircraft at the Leh airport, I am hit by the dazzling sunshine. “This is exactly what Neil Armstrong saw when he landed on the moon”, I tell myself. I am surrounded by bleak sandy mountain chains in a science fiction like moonscape, devoid of all vegetation. I...
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