The Tashichho Dzong (monastery) in Thimphu in Bhutan
I left Kaziranga National Park for Bhutan, expecting to reach its border town of Phuentsholing after a night halt somewhere on the way. Wonder of wonders, I reached by evening itself after a 10 hour drive. Amazing what good roads can do.
I spent a night in a comfortable hotel there, and had to spend half a day getting permits for myself and my car. Left for capital Thimphu a little after noon and reached in the evening. [continue reading…]
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The Takthok (Thagtok) Monastery in Ladakh
Why did so many gompas start out as caves? Tak-Thok (also Thag-Thok, literally “rock roof”) gompa has come up around a cave where Padmasambhava, or the Guru Rinpoche, is said to have meditated during his travels to Ladakh in the 8th century.
The cave, called Duphug (or Tu-Phuk) Lhakhang, is a popular pilgrimage. Buddhists visit to be blessed by dubchu, the sacred water that oozes from its ceiling. A constant drip. Even in winter, when the world freezes over. The ceiling is a greasy black with emissions from the butter lamps that burn nonstop. Devotees have stuck offerings of banknotes and coins all over. Gold-plated statues of Padmasambhava’s eight manifestations occupy pride of place. [continue reading…]
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Hemis Monastery, Ladakh: If you walk up this track, will you spot flying lamas?
If you walk up the mountains from Hemis monastery, you’ll reach Gotsang cave, about 2 km away. Buddhist monk Gyalwa Gotsangpa meditated there in the 13th century.
Monks do so even today. Anyone will tell you this. But Tashi, a local cabbie, has more to tell. These lamas, called Tubas according to him, meditate for years on end, wearing nothing even in the icy winter. This intense discipline gives the lamas the shakti (‘power’) to fly, flit about from peak to peak. Has Tashi seen these aerial acrobatics? No, but he knows people who have. [continue reading…]
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Chemrey Monastery, Ladakh
Many monasteries in Ladakh were plundered by invaders over the centuries. The one at Chemde, or Chemrey stayed safe. How? A tale worth telling.
Seems the Mongols laid siege on Chemde in the late 17th century. He was outnumbered but that didn’t stop the head lama from outsmarting the outsiders. From afar, he shot the Mongol king’s tea cup with a rifle. Stunned, the king thought Goddess Kali ruled over the gompa and he made peace with the monks. A temple to Kali stands at the base of the hill on which Chemde nestles. [continue reading…]
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Amused Buddhist Nuns at Hemis Monastery, Ladakh
This shot of Buddhist nuns was captured during the annual festival of the Hemis Monastery in Ladakh. Click on the image for a larger view. You can view and order more such images at the Kunzum Gallery.
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Dancer in Yellow Mask with Flag at Hemis Monastery Festival, Ladakh
This photograph of the masked dancer was taken at the annual festival of the Hemis Monastery in Ladakh. It has also been selected for a permanent display at the Museum of Cannes, France.
Click on the image for a larger view. You can view and order more such images at the Kunzum Gallery.
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It never rains at Hemis Tsechu (festival). Why should it? The annual festival, uninterrupted since its inception in the 1730s, falls on the 10th and 11th days of the fifth Tibetan month. These are usually the summer months of June/July, with negligible precipitation in this rain shadow area.
Seems the lamas didn’t consult their Oracles this year though, and thousands like me stood wet and freezing on festival day. The lamas, though, interpreted the rain and occasional snowflakes as heaven’s blessings! A few hours delay was inconsequential on this special day to commemorate Guru Padmasambhava’s birth. [continue reading…]
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Serene monasteries. Savage histories. It’s possible.
When the armies of Balti king Ali Sher Khan vanquished Ladakhi king Jamiang Namgyal in end-16th century, several monasteries were desecrated. Matho was one of them. Its scriptures and art treasures were pillaged. Its head lama, Tungpa Kunga Gyaltsan, was killed. Matho’s residents put up stiff resistance though, and were rewarded with land grants later when their king was released. The monastery was restored by Chhos-kyi Lotos, who took charge as its head. [continue reading…]
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I went looking for the famed oracles of Matho gompa. I was disappointed to learn that they appear only during the annual Nagrang Festival in February or March.
Dorje Palzang, Matho’s founder, brought from Tibet the two brothers Rongtsan Kar and Mar, known for their protective powers. The oracles now are two lamas from Matho (chosen every four years), possessed by the spirits of Rongtsan Kar and Mar during the festival.
In a trance, they perform stunning acts. They run along walls and rooftops without falling off. They cut their mouths and hands with sharp knives, bleeding profusely and yet their wounds heal in a day! They walk about in masks without eyeholes, seeing through the angry eyes of deities painted on their torsos. [continue reading…]
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I am sure I have been present at monasteries around lunch time, but only at Karsha monastery did I hear a conch being blown informing all the resident lamas, about 120 in all, it was time for the meals.
The 11th century monastery was built by Buddhist master Zanskar Lotsawa Phakpa Sherab who introduced Buddhism to this valley. Its thirty building, constructed in a cascade style along a hill face, have come up over the centuries and not all at one go. He was followed by other masters like Tungpa gyaltsa Pa, Thapuwa Dhamcheu Gyaltsen and Dupkhang Guelek Gyatso who established Karsha a major scholastic centre of Buddhist studies. [continue reading…]
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When a seven year old lama cries for his family, how do the senior lamas handle it? They give him a sweet to pacify him. If that does not work, a little whack behind the ear certainly does.
[Click on the images for a larger view]
Jigmet and the other lamas, all in their late teens to the early twenties, at the Hemis monastery were laughing when they gave me this answer. However, I got a more philosophical answer from His Holiness, the XII Gyalwang Drukpa, who believes in taking a long term view of what is good for the person. And knowing that the bonds of love are stronger than any iron chains. [continue reading…]
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The bored lama boy at Hemis Monastery in Ladakh
This image was taken by me at Hemis Monastery near Leh in Ladakh on the occasion of their annual festival in June 2008. It had started raining on the day – totally unseasonal in this cold desert area, and despite the Lamas (Buddhist monks) being sure it never rains on the festival weekend – and everyone was waiting for the open air event to start. This Lama Boy seemed to be all bored – or contemplative – with nothing else to do. [continue reading…]
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Boys will be boys, even when they are being groomed to be Buddhist Lamas. When I started taking pictures of some young Lamas at the Karsha Monastery located near the town of Padum in the Zanskar Valley (in the Ladakh region of the Indian Himalayan state of Jammu & Kashmir), not only did they start posing specially for the camera, they also started jostling to be in the camera frame exclusively. It led to a bit of friendly bashing, adding to the fun of the afternoon while I was there. Boys will remain boys. [continue reading…]
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Zanskar
Once upon a time, there was a small Himalayan village located 3,050 metres above sea level. In the Lahaul-Spiti valley, mostly a cold desert region. Populated by only a few ‘souls’, their homes being caves found on a mountain face of the village. Living at close quarters were some Lamas practicing their faith in what is the oldest continually functioning Buddhist establishment in India. Going back to as far back as 996 A.D. [continue reading…]
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