It's been a while since I created an account in blogspot. Like a home that's not lived in for a while, it has remained empty, unused and neglected.Hope 2010 will see me visit the site and write blogs expressing my real or imagined creativity. :)
The travel diary I wrote on my visit to Leh in 2007 would be a good start I guess.
A Travel Diary JU’LEH’I happened to read a book about the travels of a woman from France, a Buddhist nun who traveled through the Silk Route to reach Lhasa in Tibet in 1960. Tibet had just come under the Chinese rule. The book spoke about her courage and strong will that helped her to travel through difficult terrains in harsh weather. This was in 2005 when I was living in Pune. A small seed of desire to see at least part of the silk route and travel through Himalayan mountains and visit Buddhist Monasteries was already sown in me during that time. An advertisement for Maruti Services that showed a beautiful road in wilderness surrounded by mountains where a Kancha (young Buddhist lama) guides the travelers to a Maruti Service Station on the way to Leh only increased my determination to visit Leh some day.
I didn’t know then my dream would indeed come true very soon when my husband got posted to J & K. in 2006. I moved with bag and baggage to Srinagar. I must confess the breathtaking beauty of the Kashmir Valley mesmerised me and I enjoyed traveling to Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonmarg and other beautiful places in Kashmir. Leh wasn’t in my agenda for a while.
It is said that the Universe records every strong wish of yours and the forces help in making those wishes true. Call it happy coincidence or the natural forces in play, in September 2007, one day my husband announced he had to visit Leh on some official work. The seed hidden somewhere in me suddenly sprouted into full grown tree and I was rearing to go. I convinced him to take me along. Here is the golden opportunity to visit leh and I wouldn’t let it slip out of my fingers. We planned a week long trip by road as I didn’t want to miss out on the beauty of Ladakh by flying to Leh .
I went to the library to look for some information on Leh. I chanced upon two books ‘ Ladakh - The Land and the People’ by Mr Prem Singh Jha that gave some valuable information about the place. The other book was ‘A Journey in Ladakh’ by Andrew Harvey , a classy travel book and a spiritual autobiography which I got to read in detail only later when I returned back from Leh. It gave glimpses of spiritual and mystical facets of the place. ‘Ladakh is the land of high passes; my experience of Ladakh and its people was to be, for me, a pass, into another awareness of reality.’- This statement of Harvey reflected what I felt about the place when I was there..
Another doctor, his wife and their chirpy and cheerful daughter Nikita joined us. He had been to leh during his bachelor days and now he wanted to show the place to his family. It was indeed a blessing in disguise. He was our travel guide and gave us many small bits of interesting information about the various places and told us many stories that made the journey really interesting. We set out in a Scorpio with Abdul, our driver. I must say that a skillful driver and a good SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) like a Scorpio are a must to travel on tricky, curvaceous mountain roads. If adventure is in your blood and you love outdoors, and you are driving up in your own vehicle, you will have the advantage of pacing yourself, stopping wherever you want for a photo-op or just for staring out at the beautiful scenary that unfolds before you.
I am indeed grateful to everyone who looked after us well and made our stay comfortable during our travel.
Day 1 (10-09-2007) SonmargWe left around 9 30 a m and reached Sonmarg in four hours time and were served piping hot lunch. It was drizzling lightly and there was chill in the air. Though I was tempted to gorge on the tasty food, I checked myself as I had a long way to travel ahead. I took in the beauty of all the greenery around .The driver showed us the route taken by the Yatris to Amarnath from Sonmarg.
After lunch, we set out towards Zoji- La Pass that connects Leh and Kashmir Valley.
The driver warned us the road ahead may not be so good as it gets frequently damaged by landslides. And he was right. It was quite a bumpy ride on the pass up the long winding granite sides of the mountains. We could see giant excavators/bulldozers used to repair the road along the way.
LADAKH DISTRICTWe crossed the Zojilla Pass and entered Dras District in Ladakh region. What I saw took my breath away. My eyes took some time to adjust to the bare brown landscape from the lush green of Kashmir valley.
DrasWe stopped at Drass for some tea and refreshments. We visited the War Museum, spotted Tiger Hill where the Kargil War was fought. I felt quite proud of our Indian warriors who fought so bravely to protect our borders and learnt a lot more about how they recaptured so many posts.
Next, we visited the war memorial and paid homage to the great soldiers who laid down their lives protecting our country. It was a solemn moment of silence and a deep sense of sadness overwhelmed me. I was moved to tears for Mother India had to lose so many of her fine young sons in the battle. History is replete with instances of bitter battles fought for greed, power and supremacy. But to what end? When will humans learn to live as brethren and the world as one family?.... As I looked up and ahead in the mountains dotted with patches of red bushes, it seemed to symbolize blood and death.
It was still drizzling, and suddenly there were sun beams streaming through the clouds. Lo and behold! There was a beautiful rainbow spanning the heaven and earth. It was as if I could reach out and touch it. It felt ecstatic. As I captured this beautiful moment in my digital camera, my heart felt it was a good omen. May be there is hope for enduring peace on earth!.
I heard that Dras is the second coldest continuously inhabited place on earth next to Siberia where the temperature would go down to -50 deg Celsius in winters. I couldn’t but admire the resilience of the residents there.
KargilBy the time we reached Kargil town it was late evening. We spent the night at Kargil and decided to leave by mid morning the next day to Leh via the Lamayuru monastery route. We decided to return back by the Batalik range route. I heard that a pure Aryan race lived there in a village called Darchik.
Day 2 (11-09-2007)It was a bright and beautiful morning. I watched with interest from my cottage which was at a height, how the truckers were washing their vehicles in the river down below. There was laughter and great noise. I was reminded of how back in Southern India the elephants were given a bath by mahouts in the river. It was with same love and dedication these drivers were washing up the machine giants.
In the morning we strolled for a while after breakfast in the tiny kargil market. Nothing much of interest except a few shops which sold tea cups from china and the typical ladakhi dress called Baku worn by the women there.
We left kargil for leh by 11 o’ clock after breakfast. . Travelling some distance from Kargil you spot a village called Shargola. My very first experience of Buddhist communities was when I sighted a huge prayer wheel (kal chakra)mounted in a mantap (a building with four pillars and a roof over it) I turned to the other side and spotted few houses over which some prayer flags of yellow, red and green were flying in air. It was as if I entered a different world altogether. I got down from the vehicle and went and rotated the prayer wheel which went round with the sounding of bell. There were some sacred buddhist script written on it. I kept rotating the prayer wheel like a child. I would be doing this all along the way wherever I found a kal chakra, testing the patience of my co travelers but I never tired of it and enjoyed myself thoroughly. It is considered auspicious and the Buddhist believe that with every rotation of kalchakra we are washing away our karma. You will find a huge kalchakra in the middle of a busy market place, along the mountain routes, in monasteries and old palaces …almost everywhere. Small, big, rows of them with a wooden handle attached to them…
All the inhabitants from Dras to Kargil are now Muslims except the people of Shargola. After crossing Shargola one suddenly feels the air of the Buddhist land. We spotted many chortens, mani- walls made of stone with the words ‘Om Mane Padme Hum’ (Praise to the jewel at the heart of Lotus) engraved on slates. On the roof of the houses prayer flags in various colours (red, green, yellow, blue and white) flutter in the wind. (These prayer flags are called ‘Tar-chog’. Buddhists believe that if anybody prints some Buddhist Suttas on ‘Tar-chog’ and hoist them at high rising places, the air which passes through them spiritually helps all living beings who come into contact with this air.)
The JourneyThe journey through Ladakh though long and arduous is a wonderful experience. What strikes you most about Ladakh is the vast expanse. It is as if you are at the last place of the earth, the horizon where the earth and the skies meet. For miles together your vehicle is the only one on the lonely mountain roads. Every bend springs a surprise at you be it snow clad mountain ranges which are so far yet feel so near or windswept bare young sandy hills and small streams or those huge craters which makes you feel you are in moon land. Your vehicle passes through rings after rings of mountains, each more spectacular, brilliantly coloured than the last; The different colours of mountains make you spellbound. You slowly move towards the plateau of central ladakh, along the river Indus that seems to flow for a while in the same direction as your vehicle moves and suddenly in the opposite direction as you take another bend and it is interesting to watch. It felt as if Mother Nature, the greatest artist is working at a leisurely pace in her spacious studio for millions of years and sculpting out beautiful creations in rocky mountains… Sometimes you spot foreigners cycling down or trekking the mountain route. You lose all sense of urgency and calculation as your vehicle climbs up the mountains. It was as if I was traveling back and forth in time and slowly losing myself to the timelessness of Ladakh.
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The monotony of the journey is broken by small cluster of houses and corn fields with a board with name of the village put up by the BEACON along the road. There is a village after every 10 to 12 kms. You will find Ladakhi women carrying a basket behind them with red cheeked children running after them and they all break into a smile and wave back at you when you wave to them. The innocence, the open and warm smile …. the very spirit of the simple and honest people of Ladakh wins your heart. Ladakh is one of the very few places that are left which are not yet totally spoilt by commercialization and modernization.
Light & SilenceAs we traveled towards Leh, what struck me most is the brilliant pure light that bathes everything around in Ladakh. The bright sun seems to embrace each and every object there with its golden light. I went quiet with awe and joy when I saw the snow covered peaks at a distance suddenly illumined in a golden hue with the touch of light.
And the silence…that great tender silence of snow and rock in which every sound was absorbed… a silence of such intense quality that is sustained over thousands of years seemed to emit an energy that encompassed you..
Bodh-kharbuWe halted at a place called Bodh- kharbu for lunch break. I was impressed and delighted by the brightly painted yellow, red, green and gold of the Buddhist temple that shone in the sun. We found some young school girls in maroon Baku returning home from the Buddhist school. I gave them some chocolates I was carrying and they happily posed for a photograph for me.
Lamayuru MonasteryWe reached Lamayuru Monastery situated on a steep rock. There was a lama and an old man looking ageless rotating his prayer wheel sitting outside the gates. Some young lamas barely 8 to 12 years old in maroon robes crossed us. I smiled at them and asked them where they were coming from. I saw them carrying a Hindi alphabet book. They said they were learning Hindi at a local school here. The older lama explained to me that the children learn Hindi as one of the compulsory subjects in the buddhist school. I asked a young lama if he has tasted an ‘aam’- mango or seen a mango tree shown in his text book. He smiled and said no. He has never seen or tasted it.! He asked me if it tastes very sweet! How I wished I could produce a mango with a magic wand and give it to him then and there!
We walked further in and I spotted the residential quarters of the monks and prayer house. The yung-drung Gompa was standing tall and colourful. I saw a ladakhi woman and a girl carrying things in a basket. They agreed to take a photograph with me and together we rotated a Kal Chakra installed there. It was a breathtaking view from those heights to look at the villages and the houses which seemed like little toy boxes. I wished I could stay longer and explore the place a little more. But we had to rush as there was still a long way to Leh as we endeavored to reach Leh before nightfall.
KHA-LA-CHE (Khaltsi)We took a short break at khaltsi, a beautiful, well developed village. There are many good restaurants, cafes there and it is a good place for breakfast, lunch, dinner or light refreshment. The open restaurant called ‘Samyas Restaurant’ we stopped at was run by a Punjabi gentleman and had a pleasant ambience. They were also selling some souvenirs from ladakh like woollen caps and mufflers knitted by the local women, fossils embedded on rock pieces, Buddha painted on silk and some local handicraft items.
Beside farming, the villagers do horticulture and produce fruits such as apricots. I bought a packet of fresh apricots to eat along the way.
Leaving khaltsi as one travels past the different villages, one spots Mani-walls with many Tibetan inscriptions engraved on stone plates. They are said to date back to 15th or 16th century A.D.
LehWe crossed another village of historical importance called Bazgo which I heard housed had a huge castle and a royal palace and which also housed a monastery established by the father son duo King Jamyang Namgyal and Sengge Namgyal.The monastery had a huge statue of Maitreya, erected by King Sengge Namgyal..
When we reached Leh it was already nightfall. We could see lights flickering from a distance. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t see the city as soon as I reached but then like Andrew Harvey in his book said, ‘Everything is for a purpose’. We were thoroughly exhausted after travel. My mobile phone came back to life and I felt I was back to civilization after a wilderness of rocks. As I stood outside my lodging and looked up at the clear unpolluted sky, I was amazed to see so many bright stars twinkling like diamonds studded on a black velvet cloth…so clear and sparkling.. I was only used to seeing dull starlight hidden partially with hazy smoke in the polluted skies of the cities… so it was refreshingly beautiful. It was cold. Our friends told us we needed to acclimatize ourselves to the heights and dry climate of Leh for a day or two before we ventured out. I’ll share with you all the tips for acclimatization at the end of this article which you may find useful if you decide to visit Leh. We decided to do some sight seeing in and around Leh and my indomitable shopping spirit came alive once again and I decided to do some shopping too. Aditi, a young , friendly ophthalmologist who had already spent two years in Leh offered to take us around the city. We decided to visit the Leh palace before lunch. With the itinerary fixed for the next day, I fell into bed, exhausted, exhilarated and slept soundly.
Day 3 (12-09-2007)The next morning came alive with bright sun. I came out and looked around. Snow clad mountain peaks sparkled like gold when the sunlight fell on them. I could see the leh town with flat-topped, terraced houses at some distance. Towards my left I saw the Shanthi Stupa and steps leading to it.
Leh Palace We reached the Leh palace around 9 30 in the morning. It was built at the time of Sengge Namgyal. A very majestic and massive structure situated on the corner of the ridge overlooking the town. It also houses a monastery. As I slowly climbed up the steps towards the palace, I found rows and rows of prayer wheels along the walls and indulged in my favorite past time while in leh i.e rotating each one of the prayer wheels.. Then I saw a group of foreigners and some ladakhi men and women also going up to visit the palace. A young boy in that group greeted them with the words ‘Jullay’ and they greeted him back with ‘Jullay’ Then he turned towards me, smiled and said ‘Jullay’. I smiled back and said ‘Jullay’. For the first time I heard the word ‘Jullay” in Leh which would be the refrain from then on for me for every meeting with the locals. I learnt that it meant ‘Hello’, ‘Welcome’, ‘God bless’. It’s a pleasure to see the young and old reciprocate with ‘Jullay’ when you wish them even as they look into your eyes and break into a warm, open smile.
The palace of Leh is empty and is slowly turning into ruins. The rooms are vacant . But the monastery is alive. There is a gigantic image of three storeyed high seated Buddha in the monastery covering three levels. The lama there said it is the image of ‘Maitreya’ the Buddha of future. To its right is an image of Avlokiteshwara and on the left is the Manjushri image. The walls are beautifully painted . I found seven silver bowls filled with water kept in front of the Buddha. They also offered ‘sattu’’ –ground barley flour as offering to Buddha.
Local People, Markets and ShoppingThe leh market which I saw wasn’t much different from the one described by Andrew in his book written in 1983 except that I found more cars on the road.
We returned back from the palace and had an excellent Chinese lunch at Golden Dragon restaurant. I shopped the whole afternoon with my friends in the market. There are two main shops ‘Stanzin’ and “Lamo Pearls’ where one can shop for jade, turquoise, malachite , pearls , onyx, amethyst and other semi precious stones and beads. There are many small curio shops which sell souvenirs like tankas , small prayer wheels, Buddha painted on silk, Chinese fengshui items, old solid iron locks, porcelain Chinese soup bowls, tea cups with lids, colourful small porcelain containers all painted with dragon motifs and much more. I went hunting for a mok-mok (momo) container in which momos could be steamed. There are also shops which sell ‘Baku’ the traditional Tibetan dress in silk or satin .Some villagers sit on pavement and sell socks, caps and mufflers knitted out of yak wool. You also find shops selling kashmiri shawls and carpets. They mainly cater to foreigners and are quite expensive. One needs to take some local friends familiar with the place and do some hard bargaining else be prepared to be fleeced by the shrewd shopkeepers!
The Ladakhi festival was on at the time we visited Leh and there were many foreigners. The locals drink ‘chang’ and do a type of slow dance putting their arms around each other and swaying their hips the Ladakhi way .‘Champa’- the mask dance and yak dance are also performed on the final day of the festival.
Women have traditional jewellery made of huge turquoise beads, corals pearls etc called ‘kau’. I found many women wearing this piece of jewellery.
There are many restaurants serving tasty Tibetan food. Momos, noodles and thukpa (noodles in clear or vegetable broth) are some of their staple food. I surprised the cook in one of the restaurants I visited by entering the kitchen and requesting him to show me how he made momos. He was quite sportive and showed me eight different ways of folding the momos and how to make the filling. I thanked him and when my order was served I found all the eight types of momos in my plate. He had taken care to make some specially for me!
Day 4 (13-09-2007)Having acclimatised ourselves to Leh, the next day we ventured to see pangang-tso lake. ‘La’ is a pass and ‘tso’ is lake. It turned out to be the most memorable experience. We traveled upwards towards Chang-la. When we started the sky was clear.
As we kept traveling up, the temperature fell and it started drizzling which turned to snowing by the time we reached Chang-la, a vast pass which was at a height of 18,500 feet. We could see many prayer flags fluttering in wind and the temple of ‘chang-la’ baba.( Lord Shiva) We stopped there for a while and as we descended down ,the sky once again became clear.
For the first time I spotted a few yaks in the fields. I got down to take some photographs. I started photographing a yak which was leisurely crossing the road and it bolted . I ran after it. May be it was camera shy. There was heavy wind. In the ensuing melee my stole which I had wrapped around my shoulders flew away towards the mountains as I watched helplessly. Everyone in the vehicle were laughing at me. But I managed to take a few pictures of other yaks which probably took pity on me and posed.
We reached Darbhuk one of the coldest places in Ladakh like Dras and went to Tangste village for lunch. We decided to stay put for the night there
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The evening was pleasant but the night became quite cold. The guest house where we stayed for the night was in the highest guest room complex in the world! Just imagine! It felt strangely exhilarating to know that I was literally on top of the world !
Day 5 (14-09-2007)Pangang-tso LakeNext morning we packed some breakfast and set out towards the lake. I could spot yaks, wild asses, wild horses and kiyangs grazing on the side of the hills. I recalled what I read about how the lake was formed. The Himalayan mountains are still very young and constantly changing. The lake is a remnant of an ancient sea that spilled out when the continents collided and Himalayan mountain ranges were formed. The water is quite salty. There are no fish or any water plants in it. Just sand dunes below. But when you dig on the banks of the lake, surprisingly you get fresh water.
I can never forget my first glimpse of the lake from a distance. It is a breathtaking sight! The brilliant blue-green water after the monotonous brown landscape amaze you. The only other time I had such intense joyful jolt was when I first set eyes on Taj Mahal in Agra. We took a ride in a motor boat. I simply kept staring wide eyed with awe at the clear blue green water… the colour kept deepening as we went further. I tasted the water and it was salty like sea water! I never realized that we were in that azure blue waters for almost 20 minutes. It felt like 20 milliseconds. Time really came to a standstill there! It sure was a once in a life time experience! The journey was worth its weight in gold if I could measure the pleasure!
Garnet HillAfter breakfast we did a treasure hunt in the nearby hill called garnet hill! People said they could casually pick up garnet stones that were strewn everywhere on the hill. Poonam, Nikki and I kept searching for a while and had fun picking up lots of stones with a faint hope that they would be garnet! As we came down a man watching my slight disappointment of not having found any gave me a moderately sized garnet stone he had picked up the previous day .So it was true after all that garnets were found there!
We returned back the same way and took a short tea break at Chang-la. I wrote appreciatively about the work of BEACON in the visitors’ book It was a clear and sunny day and I could see patches of snow here and there from previous day snowfall.
We stopped at Tsoltak for lunch and headed back to Leh. I could see women carrying wild berries near Sakti village waiting for buses to take them to I presume ‘leh’ or maybe to other nearby villages.
Hemis MonasteryOn our way back to Leh I wanted to visit the famous Hemis Monastery . We crossed the river Karu and looked for the monastery. I presumed it would be visible like the other monasteries along the way. But we kept going along the mani walls as per the direction of the villagers but couldn’t find it. We almost gave up when we saw a bus with monks going up. We followed that vehicle and there we found the monastery well hidden in a gorge that we failed to spot till the last minute!
It was indeed a huge monastery! As we climbed up along the walls of ancient looking buildings we found a large gate and entered it. There was a huge courtyard and buildings all around them. The monastery was divided into two, with assembly hall on the right and main temple on the left.
We went into the main assembly hall where the throne of the Rinpoche was kept. We found a few monks chanting prayers and some men touching up some paintings on the walls. There was a large gilded Buddha with blue hair.
I have read about the famous Hemis Festival which is celebrated every year with great gusto. I heard that the assembly hall is also called ‘green room’ by the dancers during the festival. The Hemis Monastery also houses the world’s largest thanka.(scroll).
We also found that there is a museum which has recently been established. We had to go down the steps underground.. It is funded by the King of Malaysia. It was well lit and well maintained. We found many precious relics, priceless antiques, artifacts, statues of Buddha, scrolls painted in gold , things used in Buddhist rituals and day to day things that were used by people belonging to various centuries. The highlight was a massive throne studded with precious stones and intricately carved that was presented by Maharaja of Kashmir. We weren’t allowed to carry our cameras inside. It is a must see when you visit Hemis.
One of the lamas present there pointed to us a sacred hermitage above on the side of the mountain 1000 metres higher than Hemis, a one hour journey from there . It was built by Syalwa-Gotsang Pa prior to Hemis. He meditated in a nearby cave and the lama said we could still see his foot and hand print in the rock.
We returned back to Leh by sundown. Though we wanted to visit the Shey Palace and Thiksey Monastery sadly we couldn’t make it as it was already getting dark.
Day 6 (15-09-07)It was time to return. I felt as if I hadn’t seen much and rightly so. Leh is a place where one should stay for at least a month (anytime between June & October before the passes close) and visit the nearby villages, monasteries and valleys. It is the ideal place to unwind and take it easy. The best thing about Leh is its laid back atmosphere. The die hard adventurers can indulge in trekking, cycling, rafting etc. The spiritually inclined can visit the different monasteries, visit the libraries and talk to the lamas and know more about Tibetan Buddhism. The monasteries nestled in remote valleys and mountains are ideal places for retreat and meditation. For students of history and archeology, art and architecture there are many interesting historical monuments, ancient monasteries, inscriptions , rock and stone sculptures , paintings and documents dating back many centuries.
Pathar Saheb GurudwaraOn our way back we stopped at ‘Pathar Saheb’ Gurudwara to pay our obeisance to Guru Nanak Devji who had traveled to Ladakh and was revered as a lama by local villagers. The local legend says that a demon who was troubling the villagers tried to kill Guru Nanak by pushing a huge rock from the hills above. It hit him but didn’t harm him. The demon seeing Guru Nanak in calm meditation was infuriated and tried to kick the rock on to him. But due to the spiritual powers of Guru Nanak it melted like wax and the demon’s leg was stuck in it. He cried for his apology. It is said that Guru Nanak advised him to change his evil ways and be kind to the villagers. From then on he was a transformed and helped and protected the villagers..
One can still see clearly the impression on a huge rock in the Gurudwara, the profile of Guru Nanak bending in prayers and a giant foot print of the demon.
Magnetic HillAnother interesting and strange place on the way back is the magnetic hill. It is written on a board at that spot that vehicles will move on their own even if we stop them, due to the magnetic energy produced by the surrounding hills. It was not a slope but straight plain road. We stopped the vehicle and all of us got down. . But our driver was at first reluctant to leave his vehicle to the mercy of the so called magnetic energy. We watched in surprise as the vehicle slowly started moving on its own and went some distance before it stopped. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Check this out yourself!
We had our breakfast on the banks of the Indus river. A breeze was blowing and it was a treat to sit on a small rock with my legs dangling in the cool water of Indus and biting the sandwich and sipping my tea. A true riverside picnic!
Our journey through the Batalik range was different. We traveled along the Indus and somehow that area seemed more isolated. After miles of barren rocks we would find lush greenery and a village nestled between the rocks. We could see many mosques of the Shia sect. They were different in their architecture. The rocks seemed rugged and sharp. But it was beautiful nevertheless. I was reminded of John Denver’s song ‘Colorado rocky mountain high!’ which I kept humming along the way. Our vehicle crossed the check post that said ‘Darchik village’. The place was all quiet and sleepy that afternoon except for the faint rush of a stream nearby. I hopefully looked to find someone of the pure Aryan race who are said to be living there. But no luck!
We stopped at khalsi for tea and moved on. We reached Dras by 7 30 in the evening and stayed the night.
Day 7 (16-09-2007)We crossed the Zoji-la pass by mid morning and entered the lush green Kashmir valley again. I couldn’t but help being amazed at how Nature wears different costumes on either side of the pass – one brilliantly colourful and the other plain but beautiful! I felt as if I had sat in a time machine and traveled through time into timelessness!
Travel & FunWhen you travel long distance you always travel in good company. We had a good time chatting, joking, looking at everything with interest and exchanging information and never felt the burden of the journey. I regaled young Nikki with lots of folklores from South India and mythological stories. Nikki and I kept noting down all the slogans put up by BRO with shaky handwriting in the moving vehicle. She incidentally had a Slogan Writing Contest on traffic rules in school once we returned. I had to take a class for my Class XI students in English and the topic was ‘Silk Route’. I took as many pictures as I could. I was excited at the possibility of showing my students the pictures I had taken along the way, on a big screen in the audiovisual room in the school and discussing my travels with them.
I have tried to describe my wonderful travel experience to leh in this article and hope you find it and the glossary interesting and useful. I have taken great care in getting the names of the places and facts right. I request the readers to please bear with me if I have misquoted any name or have got any facts wrong inspite of all my efforts to be accurate.
If you want to know more about Leh, please refer to the some books on leh, travel guides that would give you more information about the place and boarding, lodging and travel information.
Check out my Leh-photo album that contains photos I have taken during my travel.
Jullay! :)
Also read
1. Some health tips for high altitude
2. Drive carefully - Traffic Slogans
3. Glossary
4. List of Monasteries in and around Leh
Some Health Tips for High Altitude1. One must remember to keep eating something sweet like a candy along the way so that you don’t keep puking in a plastic bag if you are prone to motion sickness.
2. As various parts of leh are situated at altitudes ranging between 3200 and 3500 mts above sea level, one needs to acclimatize oneself here especially if you come to Leh by air from the plains.
3. Low pressure of oxygen in air, low humidity therefore dry air, shaded areas being much colder than sunny spots, high ultra violet radiations and very low temperature in winters are some of the peculiarities of the place.
4. Take the following precautions to be healthy and fit:
a. Walk with deliberate slowness. Don’t’ be adventurous. Remember ‘In the land of lama, don’t be a Gama’.
b. Restrict first day visits to nearby areas where no exertion is involved.
c. Force yourself to drink plenty of water and other fluids. Dry air draws out water from the body surreptiously.
d. Consume plenty of carbohydrates like sweets and starchy food (Potatoes). They reduce body oxygen requirement.
e. Sun can be extremely strong even in winters. Dark glasses are recommended especially for snowy spots. Always carry a cap to cover your head.
f. A chap stick or your favourite moisturiser will be handy.
g. Remain cheerful and confident
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h. Despite all precautions some people do feel slightly unwell. They may have one or more of these symptoms:
1. Light headedness or occasional dizziness
2. Loss of appetite
3. Headache
4. Breathlessness on walking
Headache can be relieved with one tablet of Disprin or Paracetamol. A medicine called Diamox also helps. (one tablet in the morning and one in the evening).
The other symptoms can be controlled by adequate resting and drinking more water.
i. In case these minor ailments don’t reduce, please do consult a doctor. Expert advice is available and should be sought.
Courtesy: High Altitude Medical Research Centre
153 General Hospital
Some Interesting Traffic Slogans Seen Enroute – by BRO1. Alert today Alive tomorrow
2. Speed is a knife which cuts life
3. This is a Highway not a Runway
4. Drink and drive You won’t survive
5. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going
6. Peep peep, don’t sleep
7. Break the speed That’s the need
8. Darling I love you, but not so fast
9. After whisky driving is risky
10. I am curvaceous, go slow
11. Alertness Always Avoids Accident
12. Somebody is waiting for you, so go slow
13. All will wait, better be Mr. Late than Late Mr.
14. Either drink or drive
15. Feel the curves, don’t test them
16. Don’t be a Gama in the land of Lama
17. Overtakers beware of Undertakers
18. Drive carefully and live cheerfully
19. Better late than never
20. Speed and Safety never meet
21. Don’t mix alcohol with driving
22. Speed thrills but kills
23. If you are married divorce speed
24. Life is short, don’t make it shorter by overspeeding
25. A good driver is seldom hurt
26. Across this treacherous valley, you will find the best of friend and worst of enemy
27. Please be soft on my curves
28. Life is a journey, complete it
29. If you drive like hell, you will be there
30. Lower your gear, curve is near
31. More you speed, more you skid
32. Drive don’t fly
33. Hurry makes Worry
34. Beware of Bends
35. Anytime is safety time
36. Fast won’t last
37. Break the speed, that’s the need
38. Divided attention equals multiplied troubles
39. No Race No Rally ;Enjoy the beauty of the Valley
40. On the bend, go slow my friend
41. Driving faster can cause disaster
42. Happy mind makes good roads
GlossaryBibliography:
A Ladakh – The Land And The People (Prem Singh Jha)
B A Journey in Ladakh (Andrew Harvey)
C Outlook traveler – 100 Holidays in the Hills and 100 bonus hideaways
Zoji-LaLa is a pass between mountain ranges. The vast Zojila pass is the point of access to Ladakh. It connects Leh and the Kashmir Valley. The pass has derived its name from the Buddhist goddess Du-Zhi- lha – Mo. (Goddess of four seasons.) [A]
LadakhThe name Ladakh comes from La-Tags, in Tibetan the land of the la, the land of high mountain passes.[B]
Ladakh district is part of Jammu and Kashmir State. High up on the India and borders with Tibet, China and Pakistan, beyond the Kashmir Valley, it is one of the last places on earth where a Tibetan Buddhist community survives. No region in Ladakh is below 900 feet. Many valleys are situated at the elevations of 12,000 to 15,000 feet. Average elevation of mountain ranges from 17,000 feet to 21,000feet and many peaks rise up to 25,000 feet high. This high average elevation of the land has caused the rare air medium. [A]
DrasAfter crossing Zojila, Dras is the first Ladakhi region that is reached. It has beautiful pasture grounds for the grazing of sheep and goats. People here are a hardy race and speak a type of Ladakhi language. Historians believe they are the descendants of the Dard invaders who entered western Tibet from north-west of the Indian sub-continent. A group of Dards also live on the other side of Kargil in the north-east who are supposed to be pure Dards and who still cling to their old customs. A special festival is held every two or three years. It is marked by singing of traditional folklores that Dards have inherited from their distant forefathers.
Dras was jointly controlled by Kashmiri and Ladakhi kings and both collected revenues from the valley turn by turn.
Besides its historical importance, Dras has a unique climate. It is the coldest place in Asia and second coldest in the world. Here sometimes temperature goes down even to minus 50 deg Celsius during winter. Summers are pleasant, but one can experience chilly cold. Rocks exposed to sun’s rays may be too hot to lay hands upon, at the same time it is freezing in the shade. To be suffering from heat on one side of one’s body, while painfully cold on the other, is no uncommon sensation here. [A]
KargilAfter Dras the next important place is Kargil. It is the district headquarters of Kargil. It is located on the banks of the Suru river. It is said that the name Kargil is derived from Khar-kil. ‘Khar’ means place and ‘kil’ is the Terchen. ( the Buddhist prayer flag) placed in the centre of Khar. During olden days Kargil was under the rule of a Buddhist king. Till end of 14h century people here were Buddhists. Presently there is no Buddhist household in Kargil and is inhabited by Mohammedans of Shia sect. [A]
Lamayuru MonasteryAccording to the Mahayana legend, the monastery was founded by a Buddhist priest Arhat Nyi-ma-gong-pa in the 5th or 6th century B.C. when he arrived here from Kashmir. The whole valley was under a lake. With his spiritual power he dried up the lake. Then he drew a ‘Swastika’ sign (or gYung-drung) with grains on the side of the rock. Later, on this same place Lamayuru monastery was established and given the name gYung-drung. One can still find the traces of silt deposits of a lake on the surrounding mountains of Lamayuru. [A]
In the 11th century ‘mahasiddha’ Naropa came to this place and meditated for several years. Andrew Harvey in his book writes he met the Drukchen Rinpoche (Head Lama) from Hemis who was in his early twenties then .He was considered as the reincarnation of Naropa. The lamas there say when he was anointed as Rinpoche and came out to greet the people three rainbows appeared in clear cloudless sky. Rainbow is considered as the symbol of Naropa. [B]
The annual Lamayuru animal festival is organized by the monastery each year on the 28th and 29th day of the 2nd month of the Ladakhi calendar. Local people call it ‘Yuru Kapgyat’. During this festival lamas of the monastery perform sacred dance ‘cham’. This dance continues for two days. [A]
BEACONThe travelers feel extremely grateful to the The Border Road Organization for helping us have a smooth ride on these treacherous mountain roads even in hostile weather conditions. Their Himank project in making, maintaining and repairing roads in the mountains, valleys and passes of Ladakh is indeed remarkable. It was quite touching to see the workers working tirelessly in remote places, repairing roads along the way inspite of pouring rain, sleet or snow. These roads are the lifeline of Ladakh connecting remote areas and connecting it to the rest of the world. I felt particulary thankful to them for maintaining the roads at ‘Chang-La’ – 18,000 feet above sea level, the third highest motorable road in the world!.
BEACON has also put up many light hearted, humorous but thought provoking traffic slogans for people to avoid drunken driving. ((see ‘Drive carefully’ – traffic slogans ) Probably in cold weather, the drivers set out after a peg or two for braving the cold and breaking the monotony of driving.
KhalsiAt Kha-la-che one can find fossils of many kinds, most commonly plant leaves fossils. These point to the fact the Kha-la-che was once full of plants. A powerful flood supposed to have washed away the plants. [A]
LehBefore 1947 Leh was one of the important markets fro Central Asia trade in wool. During summer, caravans of traders from Central Asian countries used to come and exchange goods with Kashmiri, Hindustani, Lahuli and Punjabi traders in the presence of Ladakhi interpreters. [A]
De Vigne’s Travels in Kashmir and LadakhThe merchandise that passes from Yarkund, via Ladakh to Hindustan, consists of gold, in ducats from Russia, in old coins from Bokhara, and a small quantity also finds its way from Bulristan; silver, silks, and porcelain from China; musks, furs…..From Hindustan to Yarkund are carried madder, pearls, English calicoes, Dacca muslins, chintzes, kimbals or golden cloths of Benares, shields, indigos, henna, spices, sugar, tabashir… [B]
Today, Leh is growing like any modern town with a main market and hotels and restaurants selling Ladakhi, Kashmiri and Chinese food. Many ‘A’ Class hotels have come up to cater to the needs of foreign tourists who arrive in large numbers between June and November. It is now developing as a cosmopolitan place with the mixture of East, West and Tibetan culture. There are many houses which offer ‘Paying guest accommodation and food’. It has an airport which is well connected. There are many taxis plying to take the tourists around.
StupasA stupa is a building of plaster and brick that has four stages: a large cubic foundation, rising, diminishing cubes that support a wide, empty, bun like middle portion, which supports in its turn a long spire that comes to a point in the symbol of a crescent moon cradling a sun. It is a building in which relics are kept, the relics of saints, or kings or very holy teachers and each stage of the building symbolizes a different state of consciousness.
All over Ladakh, there are stupas of every shape and size; in mountain passes, on the long slopes up to monasteries, along the banks of rivers, at the entrance to secluded villages, sometimes with small shrines attached to them.
Bindu at the centre of the union of sun and moon in its brick red spire is an ancient symbol of Universal Consciousness, of the Awareness of Nirvana. In the carefully calculated shape of the stupa you are reminded of the different stages of illumination that end in the experience of liberation; each of its different parts is dedicated to a different element, a different Buddha, a different ecstasy. [B]
Shanthi StupaOne of the newer additions to Leh is a pristine white stupa built with Japanese assistance and inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 1985. Walk or drive up to it for its lovely, calm ambience and fabulous views of the Zanskar Range. [C]
Leh PalaceIn the early 16th century, Ladakh was divided between two brothers, with their capitals at Leh and Shey and Bago and Temisgam respectively. Bagan, king of Basgo made war on his cousins at Shey and united Ladakh and took on the title of Namgyal, ‘the victorious’, the name of the dynasty in power until the Dogra invasion in 1834.
His younger son Tashi Namgyal ascended the throne after gouging out the eyes of his elder brother. On the hill above Leh, later known as the Namgyal Tsemo Hill, he built the Temple of the Guardian Deities(Tsemo Gompa). The earliest known portrait of a Ladakhi king is that of Tashi Namgyal. The temple is part of the fort.
The fifth and greatest king of the dynasty was Sengye (Lion) Namgyal who built the nine-storeyed Leh Palace, an imitation of the great Potala in Tibet. It was he who shifted the capital from Basgo to Leh, an indication of the growing importance of Leh as a trading post on the busy Nubra trading route at that time.[C]
Pangong-Tso Lake ( Length 155 km, Altitude 14, 500 FT)Three-fourths of this blue-green spectacle which is 40 miles long is inaccessible and lies across the border in China. It is a six hour run from Leh. As there are no buses to pangong-tso, one needs to take a shared cab. Instead of cramming a one day visit which leaves you no time except to photograph the lake and return back by nightfall, make a two-day itinerary that includes a visit to Chemdey and Tak-Tok monasteries. Tak-Tok is the only monastery belonging to the ancient Nyingmapa order of Buddhism. In ancient times it was little more than a cave in which Padmasambhava is said to have meditated during his travels. For those who wish to go separately for visiting these monasteries, Sakti a nearby village is well connected by buses.
Special permits taken to visit the lake do not allow overnight stay and are only up to the Spangmik Village check post. One can night halt at tangste or camp at Lukung.
Hemis MonasteryBuilt in 1627 A. D it flourished under Namgyal dynasty. It was favoured by King Sengge Namgyal .It is a popular monastery among the Ladakhis.
It is famous for its Hemis Festival far beyond the borders of Ladakh especially among foreigners. This festival takes place every year on the 9th to 11th day of the 5th Tibetan month. This date usually falls in June-July. It is celebrated in honour of Guru Padmasambhava’s birth anniversary. During this festival the lamas of the monastery perform musk dance called Cham.
Hemis also houses a gigantic ‘thanka’. It is one of the largest scroll in the world, which is unfurled once in 12 years and is displayed during Hemis Festival that falls in that year. The last unfurling was in 2004. [A]
Thiksey MonasteryThe 515 year old Thiksey monastery is 17 km from Leh. At present Thiksey Rinpoche is the head of the Monastery. Thiksey Monastery is one of the important centre of the Gelug-Pa sect and consists of an enormous statue of seated Buddha which was recently made by a local craftsman Nawang Tesring. [A]
Shey MonasteryThis monastery situated on a hillock 15km upstream from Leh. It was once the residence of the royal family. A 10.5 mt high copper statue of Buddha, plated with gold is installed in the castle. Andrew Harvey in his book speaks very highly about Shey Rinpoche and how he found a spiritual guide in the Rinpoche.
The Shey OracleShey has an oracle. During the Shey Shublas, the Shey oracle rides on a horse and stops at various places around Shey to prophesise the future. The oracle starts at the Tuba Gompa where he engages in two to three days of prayer. While in trance in order to be possessed, the Shey layman becomes an oracle. The Shey oracle is held in highest regard and viewed as a god who has achieved the highest level of existence. [A]
Buddhism in LadakhBuddhism first came to Ladakh through India and not Tibet. In fact, Ladakh was Buddhist, of the Hinayana Lesser Vehicle’ school for about eight centuries before Tibet was converted.
Buddhism was introduced into Ladakh in the 3rd century B.C. by the missionaries of Emperor Ashoka, whose empire included the whole of non-Tamil India, besides a large portion of Afghanistan and the valleys of Kashmir and Nepal. In 400 A.D. the Chinese traveler Fa-Hien observed the use of the prayer wheel and noted that there were two relics of the Buddha in Ladakh - a bowl and a tooth.
Later Ladakh came under the influence of Tibet. Its form of Buddhism became Mahayana, ‘the Greater Vehicle’ Buddhism Tantric Buddhism.
‘The mountains of Ladakh have been the setting for Buddhist meditation since three centuries before Christ was born.’ [B]
Rin-po-cheEvery Buddhist monastery has a Rinpoche (Head Lama). The Ladakhis are linked together by their faith in their Rinpoches, their head lamas. They believe in the power of their holy men and seek their advice not just in spiritual matters but day to day problems like sickness, family disputes and they will accept their decision which usually is a wise enough one. And this belief gives them peace…one can see and feel this peace and dignity in the most ordinary situations, in the way in which an old woman will make you tea, in the way she smiles at you from the fields, in the frankness of her answers to your questions…[B]
ReincarnationBuddhists believe in reincarnation just like the Hindus. The Rinpoches are said to be the reincarnation of holy lamas. The incarnated lama called Rin-po-che , before his incarnation leaves something he likes most. A close devotee of earlier ‘Rin-po-che’ begins to search for his next birth. Supernatural signs like a dream by parents or a devotee, a child who has amazing ability to identify texts and articles and people of his past life etc are given indicating the place and conditions of his rebirth. A Rin-po-che can be born in any class.
Bodhisattvas‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ – the sacred mantra of Tibet, is the mantra of Avlokiteshvara, the Bodhisatva of compassion. Buddhists believe that Bodhisatva has renounced his Nirvana or Salvation and will keep coming back to the earth till the time all living beings on this earth attain salvation. Such is his compassion!
Avlokiteshwara, Manjushri and Maitreya (Bodhisatva of future) – One finds huge images of these Buddhist deities in the monasteries.
The ethnic groups of LadakhTibetan nomads who belonged to the Bon religion were the first inhabitants of ancient Ladakh. They wandered about the immense upland plains of the Himalayas with their large flocks of sheep, goats and yaks, moving from pasture to pasture as they still do. Some rock carvings that survive show that the nomads chased kiang or wild sheep.
There are now three different ethnic groups in Ladakh- Mons, Dards and Mongols of the Tibetan origin. The Mons were the first immigrants. In the Mahabharata there is a reference to Tibetan gold dust that must have been brought as a present by the Khasas or Mons from Tibet. The Mons were Buddhists and have remained so. [B]
Monasteries of LadakhThere are many monasteries, almost at every village in Ladakh. Every monastery has its own importance which one can visit if a person is interested in Buddhism. They are Lamayuru, Alchi Monastery, Likir, Bazgo, Rizong, Phyang, Spituk, Sankar, Shey, Thiksey, Hemis, Chemde, Stakna, Matho, Tagthog, Leh Monastery, Wania, Samstanling, Mulbe, Deskit, Karsha, Zogkhul, Bardan, Sani, Phugthal, Rangdum, Zangla, Tsa-ZAr, Stagrimo,Mune, Tagrimo, Wakha nunnery and Tmigang Monastery. Ladakh has all Buddhist sects – Nyimpa, Kargyut – Pa, Sasky-pa and Gelug-pa monasteries. [A]
Valleys of LadakhThe important part of Ladakh is Indus Valley, located in the centre and hence popularly known as central ladakh. Settlement is mainly observed along valleys The other valleys are Nubra valley, Suru valley and Zangskar valley. [A]
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