Ladakh – The roof of world

G.L Khajuria

Ladakh is located at an elevation of 7,650 mts from Mean Sea Level (MSL). Situated between, 76 Latitude and 35 Longitude, it is renowned as the ‘Roof of the world’ with Himis Gumpa in its internee interlaces the most striking element in the snow- capped landscape and its interiors are paradisiacal with exquisite, the most sizzling amidst rocky landscape.
Ladakh is a remote paradise which glimpses a mighty matrix of massif renowned world over. It is a treasure trove of unique art and craftsmanship.
The people of Ladakh are having their own matrix with untiring gee and dew-eyed appearance together with their art and craft. Lamas are unambiguously still silent to outsiders and look into their vignette and native art and their objectives owing to some superstitions and affiliations best known to them alone and this pride of theirs is created to go to monasteries of Hemis, Thiksay and Alehic in unison having their rebalance.
Geographically speaking, the Jammu and Kashmir as a whole is virtually divided into four prominent zones: first, the mountainous and semi-mountainous plains oftenly spoken as Kandi belt, second being Shivalik range, the third Kashmir valley and Pir-panchal range and the fourth and last being Tibetan track of Ladakh and Kargil.
The Ladakh region is having its prominence in that the river Sindh which gushes out from Lake Mansarovar encompasses through Nanga Parbat amidst the pride Himalayas surrounded by glittering glaciers.
Ladakh region from the east and through high mountainous meanders down through various glaciers. The river Indus is the longest one in the entire Indian sub-continent having a length around 2,900 Kms out of which 970 Kms passes through state and rest through Pakistan and finally drains down into the Arabian sea.
Amongst the most striking abject of Ladakh is the art of ‘Hemis Gumpa’ the biggest Monastery of Ladakh, some 40 Kms away from ‘Leh,’ alongside Leh Manali road were exist numberless golden statues of ‘Buddha’ and ‘Stupas’ embedded and studded with precious stones and pearls. This monastery is having twin routes of entrance to holy worship.
The walls of the monastery have been decorated wonderfully of its unique paintings and that is why this monastery is having an unutterable regard. Amongst Ladakhies over the remote past these paintings are the most revered deity by name ‘Bhavachakras’ and are also nomenclaturised as ‘wheel of life’ to whom they pay utmost reverence, obeisance and obtain blessings on all ritualistic occasions by all and sundry of Ladakh region.
Amongst all these, the most enchanting paintings are of Bhava-Chakras (wheel of Life) which apparently depick transmigatory existence and the wheel is held by dragon- demon symbolism having hideousness of clinging of life.
The centre of the wheel is having the monogram of cock, snake and pig indicating thereby three virtuous sins of the lust, the anger, ignorance and the dark side (half) of the circle boarding these symbols have the relevance of dark down path which signifies that all the three images bring to downside of life.
The rim of the Bhava Chakra is having five sections or segments indicative of five routes of existence of every individual’s life, whereas the lower half of the Chakra signify gate of hell. The left region indicate all form of miseries and punishment, The birth and death, young and old age and re-incarnation etc.
Whereas the outer circle is divided into as many as 12 parts indicating the sequence of events leading to every human’s life span in the chronicles of Buddhism.
As far as Hemis monastery is concerned, it was constructed some 450 years back and is a house to the main image of great ‘Guru Pekargayapoh’ who is believed to have come from ‘Lahsa’ some 540 years back. Apart from this image, there are countless statues of Guru Namg Lehotrum Grolma and the step of worship is deep rootedly embedded with brass, precious stones, pearls and are painted with protective deity of utmost prominence amongst Buddhists.
However, some of the Buddhists have with the passage of time migrated to China on one hand and Paddar-Gulab garh (Kishtwar) on the other hand where there is a huge assemblage of the Buddhists and their Monasteries which can be most conveniently seen while waying to Chandi Mata shrine at Machail during yatra in August every year.
Alachi Monastery is another eminent one in Ladakh which is wondrous of fresco art and it is else than thousands and thousands of paintings.
This monastery is situated arounding 75kms from Leh itself on the otherside of Sindhu.
In almost all monasteries, there is a whizmaleerie of objects which are de facto, small as well as large. One becomes wonderstruct and bewildered on having a glimpse of wide-arrayed artistic wealth one can ever imagine in so greater part of Himalayas right from areas which has four large carved stoned. The group of Monasteries at Mulbect are having their own charming beauty.
As a corollary, therefore, it is being concluded that pre-Buddhist hyms, such as ballads in praise of Kesar, the legendry hero are sung to at the time of Kesar festival.
General Zorawar Singh, the prominent warrior is Legendary in Ladakhi folklore and he died during an expedition against Tibet. The Ladakhis still admire the general in their mind and heart and sing song of Zorawar’s wife who accompanied him to Ladakh which reads: A Lama Can’t help taking his fee and a wolf cannot help eating lamb; the fire is in front of you, and the sun is in the distance. The poor friend near you is better than a relation far away.
(The author is Deputy Conservator of Forest, J&K)