Lamayuru is one of the most ancient monasteries in Ladakh, the oldest surviving structure dating to the 11 th century CE. What makes this monastery particularly fascinating, is its location, amidst what is today called the “moonscape”, for the spectacular natural rock formations, which truly are “out of the world”! As per legend , there once existed a huge lake in this area, populated only by the Nagas (serpents). It was prophesized that there would be a great monastery built here. This prophecy came true when the great acharya Naropa (756-1041 CE) arrived. He emptied the lake, meditated for many years inside a cave, and built the first monastery here. The present structure is a new one, built around the cave where Acharya Naropa is said to have meditated. This legend seems to fit well with the geological formations seen in the area, which suggest this was a paleo-lake, which disappeared around 1000 years ago. Lamayuru is about 130 km from Leh , and the Indus River flows along th
The Mimosa or touch-me-not is one of the few plants I know the botanical name of. There is something fascinating about how the leaves close at the slightest touch!
While at River Tern lodge. we saw touch-me-nots all over the place, and since they were flowering, they looked even prettier than usual....But even after the flowers drooped, they still looked pretty...
The flower buds seem to resemble fir cones.. or is it just me imagining it?
Wonderful pictures . I studied this plant in school
ReplyDeleteThanks Vishal! we did too!
Deletenice colour of this mimosa, Greetings Dietmut
ReplyDeleteThanks Dietmut!
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