Day 2 in Ladakh ~
I didn’t want to get out of bed and face the frozen room so I ordered a cup of hot mint tea. Opened the blinds and was pleasantly showered by the blazing sun. I lay there soaking in the heat and warmed myself by doing a gentle yoga. I was still not acclimated to the low level of oxygen so the most I could do were two suryanamaskars and other poses. I had to wait for 10-15 mins until I could fill a bucket of hot water for shower. I wished I would have taken a bathrobe and slippers because it was darn too cold to walk from the washroom to the bedroom naked. Thankfully the sun rays through the window helped me dry myself warm and I didn’t care if the workers on the street could peak into my room.
I put on layers of warm clothing and headed to the dining room for breakfast. After having a light meal, met the driver who was going to take me to couple of Monasteries. We drove through couple of small towns and bridges while admiring the scenic ride. There’s something beautiful about driving through the barren land when you can see golden mountains and fields shimmering as the rays of the sun illuminated them like gold.
Our first stop was the Thikse Monastery (Gompa) that’s perched on the hilltop. It’s around 12 miles east of Leh and is the largest gompa in central Ladakh. The white washed lama living quarters on the hill is a sight not to be missed and definitely the perfect photo moment. It is a twelve-story complex and houses many items of Buddhist art such as statues, stupas, thangkas, wall paintings and swords. One of the main points of interest is the Maitreya Temple installed to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to this monastery in 1970; it contains a 15 metres (49 ft) high statue of Maitreya, the largest such statue in Ladakh, covering two stories of the building. The center square houses two temples which are painted with vibrant red and yellow colors which was simply stunning and spiritual at the same time.
After an hour drive, we ended up at the Hemis Monastery. Along the way, we crossed the green bridge which was fully decorated by the Buddhist praying flags and below the bridge was the life giving Indus River flowing through the valley. It was a sight not to be missed. Luckily the sun was out so did my layers.
Hemis Monastery is perched deep inside the mountains so you can locate it from far sight. That was one of the advantage points which helped this Monastery save its gold statues and artifacts which have been stolen from other monasteries by invaders. As you walk up the steps and enter through the main door, you are greeted by a huge open square which is usually used during festivals for dance and other celebrations. The two temples are beautifully decorated and are used by monks daily for their prayer rituals. I got to experience a monk praying and it was so peaceful. The statue of Guru Rinpoche was magnificent. I decided to Venture to the back of the temples and heard monks chanting in their private quarters. The sound was so uplifting. In 1887, Nicolas Notovitch, wrote a book claiming to be the translation of a document held in Hemis Library that states Jesus had spent his unknown years at the Hemis monastery. Whether it is fact or fiction we shall never know.
After Hemis, our next stop was the Shey Monastery and Palace. The 360 degrees view of Leh from this monastery was breathtaking. The Palace is mostly in ruins now. The monastery houses the giant copper with gilded gold statue of a seated Shakyamuni Buddha. It was beautiful to see oil lit lamps which are placed around the shrine, which burn perpetually over a full year and are then replaced to continue the flame without interruption. Huffing and puffing, I climbed to the top of the Palace to sit and soak in the vast landscape from Indus River on one side to the snow capped mountains on the other side.
As the sun set, the cold chilly wind was unbearable and was time to head back to the hotel to relax and sleep in for an early start next day.
