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Tags : Buddhism, Monks, Monastery, Ladakh
The enchanting beauty of the Ladakh monastery and its unusual
settingleaves ARUN GANAPATHY spellbound
The monk danced in the courtyard in slow rhythmic motion: first
he raised hisleft leg followed by his right hand and then did a
little jig in which his wholebody shook. Then he repeated the
movement with his right leg and left hand.The courtyard on which he
danced looked as though it was floating in theclouds; in the
background, I could see the mountains of Ladakh slowly turn
into a moonscape in the last of the days light. It was
ethereal.
Lamayuru, a village located 127 km on the Leh-Kargil highway, is
famous forhousing one of the largest and oldest monasteries in
Ladakh, said to havebeen built at the time of Naropa, a Buddhist
monk who meditated here in the11th century.
Butter Lamps And Murals
From the courtyard where the monk had danced the previous
evening, theLamayuru gompa was just 10 yards away. The imposing
white and ochrestructure stood like a shogun, a military chief,
overlooking the tall bluffs. Anarrow path led to a small ochre
door. I walked through the door and foundmyself in a world that
turned out to be as fantastic as what I just saw outside.There was
another courtyard full of flickering butter lamps, and a
verandahwith colourful murals depicting the Guardians of the Four
Directions. A door inthe middle of the verandah led into the
dukhang, the main monastery
assembly hall.
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The hall was lined with low desks and prayer carpets; on one
side, four monkswere reciting from their prayer books, while
beating a large drum. Abovethem, richly coloured thangkas hung from
the ceiling. In front of me, encased
in an ornate glass box, was a large image of Jigsten Gonbo the
founder ofthe Drigungpa sect of Buddhists who live here and images
of differentbuddhas and tutelary deities. The wall on the left had
murals to guide thelamas on the correct way to lead their lives; on
the right, there are more glasscases elaborately painted in red and
gold with three sets of theKhandshur, the 108-volumes of the
Buddhas teachings. The monastery hasan appealing charm and
beauty.
Further back, along the same wall is another glass case; it
looked empty and
dark at first glance, but as I looked harder, I realised that it
was actually thedukhang cave, the exact spot where monk Naropa had
meditated.
In the middle of the cave were statues of Naropa and his
students Tilopa andMilarepa. The cave itself was just wide enough
for a man to sit; I wonderedhow Naropa could have sat meditating
for an unknown number of years insuch a place. But then, Naropa was
an evolved soul.
As I walked around taking notes, the prayer came to an end and
the lamasslowly filed out of the hall. I followed the oldest of
them to find out about afolklore. I had heard that long ago, the
place was a lake filled with serpentdeities. Naropa, who came here
to meditate, caused a crack in the hillsthrough which the lake
drained out. It wasnt Naropa. It was a lama calledNimma-goo, an
arahant (evolved soul) from Kashmir, who caused the crack,somewhere
in the 10th century. Naropa came here much later, he said.
Ifollowed the monks arm as he waved to explain where the lake was.
Irealised that high up though we were, we were actually in the
middle of a
bowl, whose sides were the mountains themselves. Each one of
thesemountains had creases like those on the sides of anthills,
suggesting theeroding action of water and the presence, long ago,
of a lake. When thewater of the lake drained out, the monk
continued, Nimma-goo made athorma (a votive offering) and offered
it to the spirits of the lake. The offeringtook the shape of
Yung-dung or a swastika, and that was the original name ofthis
monastery: Yung-dung Tharpa Ling.
Captivating Chants
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We were now at the front door and I looked out to see brilliant
sunshine, andskies bluer than you will ever see. Below us the
village hadnt woken up. Iheaded to the oldest surviving building at
Lamayuru a temple called Seng-ge-sgang, at the southern end of
Lamayuru. The structure was built byRinchen Zangpo, the great
translator and builder monk who was
commissioned by the king of Ladakh to build gompas in
Ladakh.
From the main monastery, a cobbled path led steeply down to the
village. Thepath also led to a small cobbled courtyard, and a
moment later, I was in asmall room with an image of the Vairocana
Buddha. The room was small anddark, save for some light that came
in through the skylights in the next room.In this room, there were
clay statues of the tutelary deities that looked veryscary; they
had bloody tongues and were supposed to be the guardians ofthe
cemeteries.
When I returned to the main monastery a few minutes later, I
could hear thedeep sounds of a drum and the clash of cymbals. In a
room upstairs, a prayerwas in progress.
As I entered, one of the monks beckoned me to sit on the floor
next to him.The seniormost of them sat on a high cushion. Next to
him sat other monks,reading in unison from their pechchas, or small
prayer books. They readmonotonously to the beating of the drum. At
the end of every page, theywould slow down and then stop. Each
chant would end with the clashing ofthe cymbals.
Through the small windows behind the monks, I could see the
snow-coveredpeaks of the Himalayas. As I looked at them, the
cymbals clashed again andmy mind was filled with images of
levitating monks in high Himalayan
hideaways; I found it difficult to tear myself away from the
captivating setting,but then Lamayuru is such a place.
The Buddhas Eyes
Buddhists do not worship statues and religious artefacts. A
Buddhas image isused as an inspiration for creating and spreading
positive human qualities.The most important moment in the
construction of the Buddhas figure is whenthe eyes are painted on,
for this is the moment when the statue can see. For
this reason, the artist or monk will paint in Buddhas pupils
over his shoulder,with his back to the idol, for none will dare to
look the Buddha in the eye.
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Shanti Stupa
The magnificent white-domed structure is located on the hilltop
at Changspa
in Ladakh. It was built by an organisation called The Japanese
for WorldPeace to commemorate 2,500 years of Buddhism and to
promote worldpeace. The stupa holds the relics of the Buddha at its
base. The Dalai Lamainaugurated the Shanti Stupa in 1985. The stupa
offers spectacular views ofthe sunrise and sunset and is popular
with tourists.
Getting There
Take a car from the taxi stand at Leh. Alternatively, you can
also drive here
from Srinagar but it takes a long time to reach.
Other Attractions
On your way to Lamayuru, you can stop at the Alchi village. The
gompa herehas well-preserved 12th century wall paintings.
You can also visit the monasteries at Likir and Spituk.
Dont miss Nimoo, the village where the Zanskar and Indus rivers
meet. Allthe monks from the neighbouring gompas gather here for a
dance festival thattakes place on July 2 and 3 every year.
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Tags : Buddhism, Monks, Monastery, Ladakh
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