Friday, August 24, 2012

Day 6 - Thiksey, Pangong Lake, Shanti Stupa (8th Aug 2012)


"Thikse Gompa or Thikse Monastery (also transliterated from Ladakhi as Tikse, Tiksey or Thiksey) (thiksok Nambar tak pe ling) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Yellow Hat (Gelugpa) sect, located on top of a hill, approximately 19 kilometres east ofLeh[1] in Ladakh, India. It is noted for its resemblance to the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet and is the largest gompa in central Ladakh.[2]
The monastery is located at an altitude of 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) in the Indus valley. It is a 12-storey complex and houses many items of Buddhist art such as stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords. One of the main points of interest is theMaitreya (future Buddha) Temple which is installed to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to this monastery in 1970. A 15 metres (49 ft) high statue of Maitreya, the largest such statue in Ladakh, covering two storeys of the building is deified in the monastery. A nunnery is also part of the complex."

Thikse Monastery


Young monks


Morning prayer session with tourists.

I have visited to many Tibetan monasteries and lived in one monastery before. But I have never been to a morning prayer session where the tourists were allowed in the main hall, and the tourists outnumbered the monks. Normally, tourists were either not allowed in the prayer hall or only allowed to sit at a corner during the prayer session. 

While it is commendable that the monastery is very open to share their culture with tourists, in the long run, it is very detrimental to the spiritual development for the monks, especially the young ones. I realized that some of the monks were distracted and looking around during the morning prayer. 

May be that is the reason why there were only young monks and old monks around. Those monks in their 20s & 30s were missing. If I am a serious practitioner, I would prefer a monastery with less distraction. 


View from the monastery


Beautiful


Wall Murals of Arhats


Red building



Beautiful Statue of the Maitreya Buddha ("Future Buddha")

"One of the main points of interest is the Maitreya (future Buddha) Temple erected to commemorate visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to this monastery in 1970. It contains a 15 metres (49 ft) high statue of Maitreya Buddha - the largest such statue in Ladakh covering two storeys of the building.[3] He is unusually portrayed as seated in the lotus position rather than his usual representations as standing or in a sitting posture on a high throne. As the largest Buddha statue deified in the monastery, it took four years to craft. It was made by the local artists under the master Nawang Tsering of the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (Leh) - in clay, gold paint and copper"

We almost missed this Statue, fortunately, Ying spotted it as we were about to leave the monastery. I saw it in the advertisement of "Incredible India". I would really regret if I did not see it. 


Beautiful Statue


This is one of the most beautiful Buddhist Statues I ever seen.
It exudes a sense of peace and compassion. That's the main purpose of Statue to evoke and remind us of those good qualities, and hopefully, we aspire to develop the qualities of a Buddha.

It is just beautiful.



Group photo. =)



Road to Pangong Lake


Scenery


Scenery



Chang La @ 5360m
(And it snowed for a while. It is summer time!!)

"The Chang La (el. 5,360 m or 17,590 ft) is a high mountain pass in Ladakh, India.[1][2] It is the third highest motorable road in the world.
The Chang La is on the route to Pangong Lake from Leh. The name literally means "Pass towards the South" or "Pass in the South" (Chang = south, La = Pass). It is falsely claimed that the pass is named after the supposed sadhu Changla Baba, a myth propagated by the dedication of a temple at the pass to the supposed Changla Baba. If any such sadhu exists or existed, he would have been named for the pass, rather than vice versa (since the name "changla baba" means the "baba of the southern pass". The small town of Tangste is the nearest settlement. The Changla Pass is the main gateway for theChangthang Plateau situated in the Himalayas. The nomadic tribes of the region are collectively known as the Changpa orChang-pa."


Pangong Lake from a distant!!!



"Pangong Tso (or Banggong Co Tibetan for "long, narrow, enchanted lake") is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft). It is 134 km (83 mi) long and extends from India to Tibet. 60% of the length of the lake lies in China. The lake is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide at its broadest point. All together it covers 604 sq. km. During winter the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water.

Pangong Tso is in disputed territory. The Line of Actual Control passes through the lake. A section of the lake approximately 20 km east from the Line of Actual Control is controlled by China but claimed by India. The eastern end of the lake is in Tibet and is not claimed by India."



Different tones of Blue..


Huge!

Sequence Photo





Jumping Shot.
(It's exhausting to jump at this high altitude of 4300m)


Stunning!!

I was thinking of jumping into the water for a swim. Earlier this year, I was jumped into the freezing Lake Titicaca (3800m) in Peru for a quick swim. And if I managed to swim in this Pangong Lake (4300m), it will be a new high for me. However, it was really cold and windy. I was already feeling cold even with my jacket, so I gave up my idea.




"Shanti Stupa is a Buddhist white-domed stupa (chorten) on a hilltop in ChanspaLeh districtLadakh, in the north Indian state ofJammu and Kashmir.[1] It was built in 1991 by Japanese Buddhist Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura . The Shanti Stupa holds the relicsof the Buddha at its base, enshrined by the 14th Dalai Lama himself .[2] The stupa has become a tourist attraction not only due to its religious significance but also due to its location which provides panoramic views of the surrounding landscape."


View of Leh City from Shanti Stupa


Shanti Stupa


Lord Buddha



Sunset in Leh


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