|
krishnag
|
Moansteries of Ladakh
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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 serene and beautiful gompa. The village and chos-kor (religious enclave) of Alchi form an oasis cradled in a bend of the river just opposite Saspol. Alchi is one of the few places where there is formal provision for visitors to spend a night or two in an inn. This must have been an important center of worship earlier. But for some unknown reason it was abandoned and that was a miraculous thing to happen. Today we get to see iconography of the earliest period of spread of Budhhism in Ladakh in a marvelous state of preservation. The style is quite different from that of the later gompa paintings in other monasteries whose inspiration came wholly from Tibet.
There is also an interesting “German bakery” in the village! Particularly good are their cinnamon rolls and tuna sandwiches.
More
|
|
krishnag
|
Cultural Tourism in Ladakh
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.
Matho gompa is famous for its annual festival of oracles which takes place around Buddhist New year. The oracles are two lamas chosen by lot every three years who when purified by months of fasting and meditation become the receptacles of the spirits of a particular deity. Once possessed by the gods, they perform all sorts of dramatic feats cutting themselves with knives and cavorting blindfolded along the parapets of the gompa. In this state they answer questions about the welfare of Ladakh and all other individual queries.
More
|
|
krishnag
|
Ladakh
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 faith. The common Ladakhi spins a prayer wheel, scrupulously keeps a chorten or mani wall on his right as he passes without every time necessarily thinking of the turning of the Great Wheel of Life, yet he exudes a tranquility reflecting the central Buddhist attitudes of compassion for all living things. The gompas of Ladakh stand testimony to a great culture with peaceful, nonviolent and spiritual elements, which the consumerism-weary individuals from all over the world are turning to for the ultimate salvation, Nirvana.
More
|
|
krishnag
|
Ladakh
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 elements were in the form of a feminine principle, in a state of simultaneous polarity and fusion with the masculine one. It was further complicated by inclusion of some pagan elements. In Tibet the old religion was the pantheistic and shamanistic Bon religion that was characterized by a highly developed cosmic system having a multiplicity of gods and demons. Buddhism as it spread made no attempt to suppress this ancient cult altogether, but rather absorbed as many of its beliefs and practices as were not in conflict with their own Thus many Bon deities appear in the Vajrayana pantheon as Dharmapalas –Guardians of the law; All this resulted in an immensely difficult and ramified system of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, gods and goddesses, beliefs and rituals, magic and mysticism, in which the whole cosmic order, and the human person in his totality-----body, spirit, senses, mind, emotions, everything is involved.
More
|
|
krishnag
|
Ladakh
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 onslaught of resurgent Hinduism south of the Himalayas. Meanwhile Tibet emerged as an important center of Budhhism in northern Himalayas. For as long as Budhhism was a living religion in India, the land of its origin, Ladakh continued to look in its direction for inspiration but when the decline set in as it did in the twelfth century, Tibet took its place and adopted a kind of pontifical authority. Novices were sent to central Tibet for training and this was the most effective channel through which Tibet’s religious culture was transmitted to Ladakh. The overwhelming influence of Tibet on Ladakh’s culture is evident everywhere. Ladakh is part of the great Tibetan plateau and cut off from India by the formidable barrier of the great Himalayan ranges whereas it is separated from Lhasa, the cultural and political center of Tibet by only 1500km of comparatively easy road. The population of central and eastern Ladakh display predominantly Tibetan racial features and the Ladakhi language is a dialect of Tibetan.
More
|
|
krishnag
|
Ladakh
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.
Keeping Leh as my base I venture out in every direction to explore some of Ladakh’s gompas and experience their spirituality, for the glory of Ladakhi Budhhism is undoubtedly the gompa. means “solitary place”. They are definitely isolated and require a great deal of determination to access them. From the base of Thiksey gompa where the taxi drops me off I look up to see a massive fortress near the summit of a craggy hill rising tier upon tier as much as 12-storeys, dominating the landscape all around. Then I notice chortens and mani walls scattered about the approach and the prayer flags fluttering gaily everywhere. These assure me that it is indeed a monastery. I labour my way up the dusty track. After a few turns I discern the tiny windows set in the walls and a few of them frame the face of a lama gazing out at me with a timeless expression in his eyes. The experience is an absolute phantasmagoria! The lamas or the spiritual leaders live congregated in the gompas. The head lama of each gompa is a kushok, the incarnation of some holy man of long ago.The kushok enjoys the courtesy title of Rinpoche, the Precious Jewel. Like the monasteries of medieval Europe many of the gompas are supported by endowments of agricultural land. For the rest of their requirements they receive them from villagers in kind.
More
|
|
krishnag
|
Ladakh
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 vegetables.
Towering over the town of Leh is Sengge Namgyal’s nine storey Palace. It is built in the grand tradition of Tibetan architecture. It seems this edifice inspired the famous Potala in Lhasa, which was built half a century later. I walk up the steep way to the Palace to take a bird’s eye view of Leh. From the ramparts I see the dense tenements of Leh packed on one side, the polo ground on another and miles and miles of desert. The royalty has shifted to Stok palace 16 km away. The temple complex is kept open to tourists and a lama twirls a prayer wheel and offers to show me around.
More
|
|
krishnag
|
Ladakh
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 the fact that Ladakh is such a cold place,prior to this Ladakhi women did not actually know how to knit! This explains why Ladakhi women knit European-style with the wool round the fingers of the left hand, and not the right as in Britain and elsewhere in India and among the Tibetans. Did the missionaries weave such a yarn to simply allow future sociologists the pleasure of unraveling it?
More
|
|
krishnag
|
Ladakh
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 through it for centuries, very little has changed in the lives of the peace loving Ladakhis. Ladakhis practice a Buddhism that is closer to the form in which it is done in Tibet. So although politically Ladakh is a part of India, culturally it is inclined toward Tibet.
More
|
|
krishnag
|
Ladakh
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 degrees during the day. Ladakh remains cut off from the rest of India for the greater part of the year when the passes, Zoji La pass connecting it to Srinagar and the Rohtang pass connecting it to Manali get submerged in snow. Every summer sometime around May the news bulletins proudly announce that the Border Roads Organization of the Indian Army have cleared the passes and established road links to Ladakh. It is a moment to rejoice all right because the place needs to replenish the supplies that have run out through the severe winter months.
More
|
|
krishnag
|
Ladakh
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 instantly start missing the green Earth I left behind in the morning on the other side of these mountains. Landing on the moon would not have been too different, I surmise. Although the gravity seems to be working all right, my head feels light. There is certainly not too much oxygen in the air and I am breathless. At least Neil Armstrong had his oxygen mask!
More
|
|
