My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
Lamayuru is
one of the most ancient monasteries in Ladakh, the oldest surviving structure
dating to the 11th 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 the road for quite some distance. The river is a beautiful sight, and easily approachable at many points along this route.
However, the landscape, even before the “moonscapes”
is just as beautiful. The natural rock formations make one stop and look again,
wondering if these are natural indeed, or something carved by man.
The
so-called moonscapes however, are quite something else. The colours of the rock
change, as do the contours of the land. It is, for lack of a better word,
other-worldly!
In the
midst of these spectacular rock formations, is a patch of green, the village of
Lamayuru, and above it, nestled in the mountains, like most of the monasteries
of Ladakh, is the monastery of Lamayuru.
At the entrance of the monastery are paintings of the guardians of the four directions.
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| Guardians of the directions |
The assembly hall has images of the Sakyamuni Buddha with his two disciples, as well as images of acharyas and deities.
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| Sakyamuni Buddha with his 2 disciples |
An alcove in this assembly hall
contains the cave where Acharya Naropa is said to have meditated. Within this
cave are 3 stucco figurines representing the three great acharyas – Naropa, his
student Marpa, and Marpa’s student Milarepa. An antechamber has images of
Mahakala and other protector deities, and a shrine above has more images of
Sakyamuni Buddha and Acharya Naropa, among others.
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| The cave where Acharya Naropa is said to have meditated |
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| A closer look at the three figures |
One of the things that struck me about the monasteries of Ladakh were the colours. Every inch of the walls and ceiling are painted, and the floors carpeted, with vibrant colours.
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| Decorations on the ceiling |
It struck me that these colours may be a response to the stark
landscape. Entering a monastery is like entering a different world, a bright
and warm one, but also one which overwhelms the senses. The iconography here is
very different from what we see in Buddhist sites in the rest of the country.
While we begin identifying a few figures by sheer repetition, there are such a
wide variety of deities and teachers represented in art, that unless one is a
student of this form of Buddhism, it is almost impossible to identify each and
every one of them. A basic understanding of the religion helps us see and
appreciate the beauty of the monastery. However, without a deeper understanding
of the tradition, it is impossible to experience the site as it is meant to be.
I felt this lack very keenly, by the time we visited Lamayuru. We had visited
many monasteries on this trip, and I had begun to see how the monastery was
built, the basic idea of the different sections. Yet, as I looked at the
paintings which covered the walls, I wished I knew more about each figure shown
here. I wished I could see them the way they were meant to be seen – as
deities, not as paintings.
Earlier posts in series -
- Introducing the Ladakh Diaries
- Ladakh Diaries Part 1: The Beginning - Manali to Jispa
- Ladakh Diaries Part 2: Jispa to Leh
- Ladakh Diaries Part 3: Leh
- Ladakh Diaries Part 4: Buddhist Monasteries and Palaces in Leh - Stok, Hemis, Thiksey and Shey
- Ladakh Diaries Part 5: The Nubra Valley
- Ladakh Diaries Part 6: Turtuk
- Ladakh Diaries Part 7: Pangong Lake
- Ladakh Diaries Part 8: Pathar Sahib and Saspol Caves
Coming up -
- Ladakh Diaries Part 10: The Last Stretch - Mulbek to Srinagar
Hi Anu,
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! Worth a read, It's so well written. Thanks for sharing these beautiful photographs. Looking forward to reading more of these awesome travel blogs.
Thank you!
DeleteThank you very much for sharing your story with us. It is quite beneficial to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris!
DeleteNice Pict I like it
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly for offering your story to us. It is very helpful to me.
ReplyDeleteNICE
ReplyDelete