| Around Leh |
| Stok Stok is situated 15 Kms South of Leh on the West Bank of the Indus river. The Royal Palace here dates from the 1840s when the invading Dogra forces deposed the king of Ladakh. The Palace is a rambling building where only a dozen of the 80 rooms are used. The Palace Museum is a show piece for the royal thankas (many 400 years old), crown jewels, dresses, coins, peraks encrusted with turquoise and lapis lazuli as well as religious objects. There is also a monastery a short distance away, founded in the 14th Century, where ritual masked dances (Guru Tseschu) are held on the 9th and 10 th day of the Ist month of the Tibetan calendar. The Kalden Guesthouse near the palace has basic rooms with shared bathrooms for around Rs 200. It is open from May to October. There are also a couple of more expensive hotels in the village. Afew buses a day make the 30 minute journey between Stok and Leh for Rs 20. Shey Shey was the old capital and the home of the kings of Ladakh before the new capital became established in Leh. The palace sits in a strategic position on a spur jutting out into the Indus Valley. King Deldan Namgial (1620 -1640) built Shey palace in the beginning of the 17th century AD. The monastery at Shey contains a 3 storey statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, made of copper guilt, the largest Buddha statue in ladakh. There is budget accommodation available in Shey. Buses leave every half hour from Leh, the journey takes half an hour and costs around Rs 20. Basgo Basgo lies at a distance of 42 Kms west of Leh. The Chamba Gompa there is situated on a hill of clay. The Dharmaraja Jamyang Namgial and Singay Namgial, father and son built it. The Principal image there is that of the so- called "Golden Maitreya", a sacred copper-gilt image of the Buddha Maitreya.There is also an image of the Buddha Maitreya made of clay three storeys in height, which can be seen at the top of the castle. There is no accommodation in Basgo. Zanskar Zanskar is a three-armed valley system situated between the Great Himalayan Range and the Zanskar mountains, the three arms radiating star- like towards the west, north and south from a wide central expanse. Here the Zanskar River comes into being by the confluence of its two Himalayan tributaries. It is mainly along the course of this valley system that the region’ s approximately 14,000 strong, mainly Buddhist population, live. Zanskar remains inaccessible for nearly 8 months a year due to heavy winter snowfall resulting in closure of all access passes. This geographical isolation and the esoteric nature of Buddhism practised here have enabled its inhabitants to preserve their identity. It is in the great Gompas of Zanskar, that the cultural traditions of the people are made manifest, and are preserved. Karsha is the largest Gelugpa monastery in Zanskar, it's foundation attributed to the great translator Rinchen Zangpo. The Gelugpa are the orthodox sect of Tibetan Buddhism owing allegiance to the Dalai Lama. Some of the best specimens of mural art in all of Zanskar, are found at Karsha. Housed in a large structure called Labrang, access to which is through the roof, they represent five different Buddha manifestations. Zongkul is a sacred place of meditation, founded by the great mahasiddha Naropa. The story goes that when he was residing in his meditation cave which is situated on the high rock face above the present monastery, he struck his ritual dagger in to the rock as a sign that he would found the monastery. The mahasiddha went there and founded the monastery. Thereafter it became the sacred place of meditation for all the mahasiddha of Zanskar. Inside the monastery there are many sacred shrines and holy objects, such as an ivory image of Samvara, a crystal stupa and the texts containing the spiritual songs and biographies composed by the successive mahasiddha. Zangla, lying deep in the northern arm of Zanskar at the end of the 35 km long road from Padum, was being ruled by a titular king until his death a few years ago. The old castle is now in ruins except for a small chapel on a hill, overlooking the deserted valley below. Zangla is the nodal point on the popular Padum-Strongdey-Zangla-Karsha-Padum round trip, which covers most of the cultural sites of Zanskar. The river is now crossed by a temporary foot-bridge for approaching the left bank along which the trail to Karsha follows. Zangla is also the take-off point for the Padum-Markha valley treks. There are plenty of guesthouses in Padum, the capital of Zanskar. Outside of Pudum accommodation is scarce. There is a guesthouse at Karsha and one at Rangdum on the way to kargil. If you have booked a trek your accommodation should be arranged for you. There is only one road leading to Zanskar that runs from Kargil to Padum. Buses run every other day. The journey takes 18 hours and costs around Rs 400. Within Zanskar there are a few infrequent and rather expensive bus services. The best way to get into and around Zanskar is by trekking. The main trekking routes in Zanskar are Padum to Darcha via Shingo La, Padum to Lamayuru via Singge La, and Padum to Leh via Cha Cha La, Rubra La and the Marka Valley Monasteries One of the most attractive features of the landscape of Ladakh are the Buddhist monasteries. These provide the focus for the faith of the highly religious Buddhist people. Monasteries are the places of worship, isolated meditation and religious instruction for the young. Many monasteries celebrate their annual festivals in winter, which are marked by masked dances. Lamayuru, the oldest religious centre of Ladakh, beats all other in sheer grandeur. In its uniqueness of wood carving, statues and frescoes, Alchi offers the highest rewards. The wealth of its possession and its annual summer festival make Hemis the most popular, while Thiksay rates high in terms of architectural impact. The beauty of the festival performances at Likir and Phyang, with their proximity to Leh, are great attractions in their favour, while the accessibility of the Shey, Spituk and the Sankar monasteries make them suitable for visitors short on time. Thiksay Monastery Thiksay Gompa, 18 Kms from Leh, is one of the most beautiful of all monasteries in Ladakh and belongs to the Gelukpa order. Hundreds of monks are in residence. The successive reincarnations of the Skyabsje Khanpo Rinpoche act as incumbents of the monastery. Sacred dances are held at the time of the Gustor ritual, which is performed every year from the 17th to 19th day of the 9th month of Tibetan Calendar. Although there was a very large temple built in ancient times at Thiksay by Rinchen Zangpo, the Translator, now it is in ruins. What remains of the building and walls can be seen at the site of the temple. The Chamba Hotel is run by the monastery and has rooms for around Rs 300. There is also a restaurant. Buses leave every half hour from leh. The journey takes around half an hour and cost rs 20. Hemis Monastery 47 Kms from Leh on the west bank of the Indus, the monastery belongs to Dugpa Order. Built on a green hillside surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery and hidden in a gorge, it is the biggest and wealthiest monastery in Ladakh. Sacred mask dances are performed on the 9th and 10th day of the Tibetan 5th month. Within the monastery there are to be seen a copper-gilt statue of the Lord Buddha, various stupas made of gold and silver, sacred thankas and many objects. A 3 Kms walk up the side of the mountain above the monastery is a sacred hermitage founded by the great Gyalwa Kotsang where you can see his meditation cave, his footprint and handprint on the rock and sacred shrines. This Kotsang is an old hermitage, which was founded many years before the Hemis Monastery. There is accommodation available at the monastery as well as a camping ground at hemis. A couple of buses a day run there from Leh. The journey takes 2 hours and costs around Rs 35. |
| Hemis Monastery 47 Kms from Leh on the west bank of the Indus, the monastery belongs to Dugpa Order. Built on a green hillside surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery and hidden in a gorge, it is the biggest and wealthiest monastery in Ladakh. Sacred mask dances are performed on the 9th and 10th day of the Tibetan 5th month. Within the monastery there are to be seen a copper-gilt statue of the Lord Buddha, various stupas made of gold and silver, sacred thankas and many objects. A 3 Kms walk up the side of the mountain above the monastery is a sacred hermitage founded by the great Gyalwa Kotsang where you can see his meditation cave, his footprint and handprint on the rock and sacred shrines. This Kotsang is an old hermitage, which was founded many years before the Hemis Monastery. There is accommodation available at the monastery as well as a camping ground at hemis. A couple of buses a day run there from Leh. The journey takes 2 hours and costs around Rs 35. Matho Monastery Matho is situated 26 kms Southeast of Leh on the opposite bank of the River Indus. The monastery belongs to the Saskya Order. A Lama Dugpa Dorje founded it about five hundred years ago. Shrines and also a sacred temple dedicated to the guardian deities are to be seen there. A festival called the “Matho Nagrang" takes place there every year on the 14th and 15th day of the 1st Tibetan month. All the monks perform sacred dances and two gods known as the Rongtsan are said to make their appearance. Phyang Monastery Phyang is situated 17 kms west of Leh. A monastery called Tashi Chozong was founded in 1515 there on the hill of Phyang and a monastic community introduced. Within the monastery there are sacred shrines and various wall paintings which date from the royal period. Every year the sacred dances associated with the festival of (Gang-sngon Tsedup) are held. There is accommodation available at Phyang. Several buses leave daily from Leh. The journey takes half an hour and costs around Rs 20. Likir Monastery Likir lies at a distance of 62 Kms west of Leh. The monastery was said was encircled by the bodies of the two great serpent spirits, the naga-rajas (Nanda & Taksako) and so its name became widely renowned as Likir (The Naga-Encircled). The monastery was brought into the order of the great Lama Tsongkhapa and up till present times the ritual and observances of the three basic Pratimoksa disciplines, which from the basic of Buddhist teachings, are preserved. There are many blessed shrines in this monastery and there resides a protective deity wearing golden armour. There are several budget guesthouses in Likir. One bus a day travels from Leh to Likir taking 2 hours and costing around Rs 40. Alchi Monastery Although there are a great many temples, caves and stupas built in Ladakh by Rinchen Zangpo the translator, Alchi Choskor is the large and most famous of all of them. Alchi is situated at a distance of 67 Kms west of Leh, founded in 1000 AD. The main image is that of Vairocana but there can also been seen the five Buddha Families together with their attendant deities, The paintings are not like the Tibetan style but rather they are executive according to the Indian tradition. There are plenty of hotels and guesthouses in Alchi. Two buses a day run between Alchi and Leh. The journey takes 3 hours and costs around Rs 60. Lamayuru monastery Lamayuru Monastery is situated 127 Kms west of Leh. In the 11th century the mahasiddha Naropa came to this place and the cave where he resided and meditated can still be seen today. Then Rinchen Zangpo, the Translator came to build many temples and stupas and so the teaching of the Kadampa School came to flourish greatly there. Thereafter, for many years the monastery was administered by the Zhwa-mar-pa (Red Hats). There are several places to stay in Lamayuru. Buses run twice a day from Leh. The journey takes 5 and a half hours and costs aroun Rs 120. Rizong Monastery 73 Kms from Leh, the monastery of Rizong was built in 1831. Dress and food provisions are provided for all members of the community by the governing body of the monastery. Nothing other than religious robes and books is permitted for the inmates of each cell. There are 40 monks in residence. Within the monastery there are shrines, the painting blocks of the biography of Lama Tsultim Nima, many objects made and books composed by the 1st Sras Rinpoche. 2 Kms below it there is a nunnery called Chulichan (Chomoling) where about 20 nuns reside. The work of spinning wool, milking, extracting oil for the temple lamps and so forth has to be performed by all the nuns. There is no accommodation at Rizong and no buses run there. Buses to Khalsi will stop 5 km downhill, from there you will have to walk. Alternatively, a taxi from Leh will cost Rs 1600 return. Tingmosgang Tingmosgang lies at a distance of about 92 Kms west of the Leh. The castle there was built at the time when Gragpa Bum, Younger brother of Takspa Bum-Lde, the 17rth king of the Ladakhi dynasty, was ruling over Sham in accordance with religious tenets. About 50 years have elapsed since its construction. Contemporary to this was the Red Chapel “ Tsuglagkhang Marpo “ containing an image of the Buddha Maitreya to the height of 3 storeys. In particular it was at those times that the self-originated image of Avalokitesvara from Kamrup was brought and installed inside the castle of Tingmosgang. The image is considered to be a most excellent object of pilgrimage which leads to the accumulation of great merit and to which prostration and oblations have been offered by the whole population of Ladakh. |