LEH - JAMMU & KASHMIR

Leh, Jammu & Kashmir

This mountain town in Ladakh is quickly rising to the top of must-visit lists. Not surprising when you consider the sheer natural beauty of the place.

The towering Himalayas supply a dramatic backdrop and plenty of opportunity for adrenaline junkies to get their fix.

Rock climbing, white-water rafting and skiing are all on offer, and if you're looking for something a little tamer, short trekking jaunts can be arranged.

For a glimpse into the town's culture and rich history, visit the Shey Palace and the many Buddhist monasteries.

Getting there: Travelling to Leh can be quite an effort. There are flights out of Delhi, Jammu, Srinagar and Chandigarh. So if you are coming in from any other part of the country or abroad, you will need to land at one of these to travel on.

The other route is by road along the Manali-Leh highway or the Srinagar-Leh road. Both are closed off from November to May due to harsh winter conditions. Buses and taxis ply these route and should be easy enough to book.

MONASTERIES AND MONUMENTS

The most attractive feature of the landscape of Ladakh are the Buddhist monasteries situated on the isolated hillock in the vicinity of villages, these aesthetically pleasing, architecturally interesting monasteries 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 gay mask dances. Monasteries have a wealth of artefacts, 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 and 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 with time at a premium.

The approach to the monasteries is lined with mane walls and Chortens. Mane walls are made of votive stones on which prayers and holy figures are inscribed, while Chortens are semi religious shrines or reliquaries, containing relics of holy people or scripts. Besides monasteries, the 9 storey Leh Palace, Stok Palace Museum, Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre and the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies Choglamsar, Mosque and Moravian Church at Leh are added attraction for the tourists. Most of these can be conveniently visited from Leh as buses ply daily between Leh and those monasteries. Most of the monasteries remain open throughout the day.

NATIONAL MONUMENTS IN LADAKH.

The government of India have declared the following historical monuments in Ladakh as national importance under Archaeological Survey of India.

1. Sculpture at Drass

2. Rock Cut Sculpture at Mulbekh.

3. Lamayuru Monastery

4. Likir Monastery.

5. Alchi Monastery

6. Phyang Monastery.

7. Hemis Monastery.

8. Leh Palace.

9. Old Castle Tsemo Hill.

10. Stupa at T- Suru.

11. Shey Palace

The Castle of Leh And The Temple Of Namgial Tasemo

Leh is the capital of Ladakh and there are many temples, castles and stupas here, which were built by the ancestral Dharmaraja. Leh was the Ist of all the capital of King Takspa Bum-lde who rules over the area of Stod, which included Leh from 2400 to 1430. It was he who built the 'Red Chapel' containing the statue of the Buddha Maitreya, three storey in height with the statue of Avalokitesvara & Manjusri on either side, each one storey high. As speech-supports he had the Sungbum Chenmo and many other sacred texts written out in gold & silver. As a mind support he built, the stupa of Ti'u-Tashis Od-phro containing 108 temples inside. He built this stupa on top of the so-called Yellow- Te'u Demon which had been harming the valley of Leh. The ruin of the stupa can be seen to this day and is known to everyone as Tisuru. Thereafter, the temple of Namgail Tsemo was built during the lifetime of King Tashi Namgial who ruled from 1500 to 1532. He founded the village of Chubi.
The Leh Palace, known as "Lhachen Palkhar" was built by Dharmaraja Singey Namgial in 1600. It has 9 storey. The historians say that its completion took three years. Sankar monastery in Leh which the first Skyabsje Bakula Rinpoche founded is a branch monastery of Spituk Monastery.In the town of Leh there is a yellow stupa called the "Mani Sermo" which was built by Rinchen Zangpo, the famous Translator.In the heart of Leh town is the New monastery called Gonpa Soma. The festival of Dosmochey in Leh takes place every year on the 28th & 29th of the Tibetan 12th month. The monks of different monasteries are invited by turn to perform the ceremonies, which ensure health & prosperity. The monks of Takthog monastery come and erect a large thread-cross model (Dosmochey) after which the festival is named. Continuing on the Changspa Lane across the stream, you reach the start of the stiff climb up to the new white peace pagoda "Shanti Stupa" built in 1983.
The architecturally striking Leh Mosque, in the main Bazaar is worth visiting.The Sunni Muslim Mosque is believed to stand on land granted by King Deldan Namgial in the 1660s.


Stok Monastery

15 Kms South of Leh at the West Bank of river Indus is the Royal Palace dating from the 1834 A.D. 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 Royal Palace Museum is worth visiting. It is a show piece for the royal thangkas, king’s crown, dresses, coins, peraks encrusted with turquoise and lapis lazuli as well as religious objects. The monastery founded by Lama Lhawang Lotus, a short distance away has some ritual mask dance (Guru Tseschu) held on the 9th and 10 th day of the Ist month of Tibetan calendar


Shey Palace

King Deldan Namgial (1620 - 1640) built Shey palace (15 Km from Leh) in the beginning of the 17th century AD. The main image in the monastery is the 3 storey statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, made of copper guilt, which was made by King Deldan Namgail in the memory of his father Singay Namgail.The statue is the only of its kind in the region


Thiksay Monastery

Thiksay Gonpa, 22 Km from Leh is the most beautiful of all monasteries in Ladakh, belongs to the Gelukpa order. The Gonpa was first build at Stakmo by Changsem Sherab Zangpo of Stod. Later the nephew of Sherab Zangpo, Spon Paldan Sherab, founded the Thiksay Gonpa on a hill top to north of Indus river in 1430 AD. There are sacred shrines and many precious objects to be seen there. Two hundredfifty 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 the annual festival, 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 which was called Lakhang Nyerma and which was dedicated to the goddess Dorje Chenmo


Stakna Monastery

The Stakna monastery lies at a distance of 25 Kms from Leh on the left bank of the river Indus. The monastery formed part of the one of the many religious estates offered to the great scholar saint of Bhutan called Chosje Jamyang Palkar in about 1580 AD by the Dharmaraja Jamyang Namgial who had invited him to Ladakh. The monastery was built on a hill shaped like a tiger’s nose and so its name was given as Stakna (Tiger’s nose). The most important image in the monastery is that of the sacred Arya Avaloketesvara from Kamrup (Assam). There are about 30 monks in residence. The successive reincarnation of the Stakna Tulku act as the incumbents the monastery and they continue to fulfil the fine responsibility of upholding the teachings of the Dugpa order. The branch monasteries attached to Stakna are those of Mud and Kharu and that of Stakrimo, Bardan and Sani in Zanskar


Hemis Monastery

47 Km from Leh on the west bank of the Indus, the monastery belongs to Dugpa Kargyutpa order, built on a green hillside surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery, is hidden in a gorge. It is the biggest and richest monastery in Ladakh and is must see for visitors. Sacred mask dance is performed on 9th, and 10th, day of the Tibetan 5th, month of Tibetan calendar. During the Hemis Tsechu held in the year of the Monkey it is possible to see the sacred appliqué- work tapestry wrought with pearls the depicts the precious teacher Padmasambhava.Next display of great Thanka will be in 2004.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. The monastery was founded by the 1st incarnation of Stagsang Raspa Nawang Gyatso in 1630, which was invited to Ladakh by the king Singay Namgial and offered him a religious estate through out the region. A pleasant 3 Km walk, on the side of the mountain above the monastery there is a sacred hermitage founded by the great Gyalwa Kotsang where in the cave, his foot-print and hand - print on the rock is available for visit. This Kotsang is an old hermitage, which was founded many years before the Hemis Monastery. A stay in Hemis over night enables you to attend early morning prayers, a moving experience and strongly recommended.
The Hemis Monastery also serves as the venue of an annual festival, known as the Hemis Tse-shu. This festival is celebrated as a commemoration of the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhav. On the day of the Hemis Festival, the thangka of the monastery is displayed, with a gap of twelve years between successive displays. The Thanka is the sacred appliqué-work tapestry wrought with pearls, which depicts Guru Padmasambhava. This annual Festival is dedicated to benefit all beings, including animals, hell beings and everyone that is suffering in the samsara (Wheel of Life).


Spituk Monastery

9 Km from Leh, the monastery standing on a conical hill with 3 chapels was founded in the 11th, century by Od-de the elder brother of Lha Lama Changchub Od, when he came to Maryul. He introduced a monastic community. When Rinchen Zangpo, the translator came to that place he said that an exemplary religious community would arise there and so the monastery was called Spituk (Exemplary). That time it belonged to the Kadampa School. Then during the lifetime of Dharmaraja Tagspa Bum- Lde Lama Lhawang Lotus restored the monastery and the stainless order of Tsongkhapa was introduced and it has remained intact as such up till the present. The Principal statue is that of the lord Buddha. Within this status there is a sacred image of Amitayus, about the finger size, presented to King Tagspa Bum-Lde by the great Tsongkhapa. Every year from the 27th, to 29th, days of the Tibetan 11th, month the sacred dance associated with the festival of the Gustor are held. Stok Monastery, Sankar monastery and Saboo monastery are branches of Spituk Monastery. The incumbents of all these monasteries are the successive reincarnations of Skyabsje Bakula Rinpoche. The monastery belongs to Gelugpa order. There are about 150 monks in the monastery of Spituk


Leh Mosque

The historical mosque at Leh was built around 1666 - 67 A.D. during the reign of Raja Deldan Namgail of the Namgail dynasty of Ladakh.This mosque is in Ladakhi artichecture.